Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2025
12:13
Ex Situ Normothermic Machine Perfusion of Donor Livers
Published on: May 26, 2015
11.4K
Normothermic Liver Machine Perfusion at a Large European Center: Real-world Outcomes following 238 Applications
Felix J Krendl1, Benno Cardini1, Margot Fodor1
1Department of Visceral, Transplant and Thoracic Surgery, Center for Operative Medicine, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Annals of Surgery
|January 20, 2025
Summary
Normothermic liver machine perfusion (NLMP) offers comparable outcomes to static cold storage (SCS) in liver transplantation (LT). This technique facilitates longer preservation times, enabling daytime surgeries and expanding LT possibilities without compromising graft survival.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Transplantation Surgery
- Organ Preservation Technology
Background:
- Normothermic liver machine perfusion (NLMP) is gaining traction in liver transplantation (LT).
- Real-world clinical data on NLMP outcomes beyond trial settings are limited.
- This study evaluates NLMP's effectiveness in routine practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess outcomes of liver transplantation (LT) using normothermic liver machine perfusion (NLMP) in clinical practice.
- To compare NLMP outcomes against traditional static cold storage (SCS).
- To analyze the impact of preservation times and surgical timing.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 332 adult liver transplants (LT) from February 2018 to January 2023.
- Utilized comprehensive viability assessment during NLMP.
- Compared outcomes between NLMP and SCS groups, including benchmark and non-benchmark cases.
Main Results:
- One-year graft survival was 81.3% for NLMP and 83.8% for SCS.
- NLMP enabled transplantation of 67 organs otherwise not considered viable.
- Increased NLMP use correlated with reduced nighttime surgeries (41.9% to 4.2%) and longer preservation times without impacting survival.
Conclusions:
- Normothermic liver machine perfusion (NLMP) supports liver transplantation (LT) with outcomes comparable to static cold storage (SCS).
- Extended preservation times are feasible with NLMP, improving surgical logistics and enabling daytime procedures.
- NLMP technology can potentially expand the donor pool and increase LT rates.
