Innovations to Expand the Liver Donor Pool: Machine Perfusion and Xenotransplantation

The number of patients awaiting liver transplant exceeds the number of liver grafts available. However, emerging technologies offer hope. Machine perfusion enhances the preservation, graft quality, and utilization of marginal livers, thereby reducing unnecessary graft discards. Xenotransplantation provides an alternative organ source, augmenting the donor supply or serving as a bridge for critically ill patients. These innovations are described in this review, as the recent clinical applications of these technologies promise to alleviate organ scarcity, improve transplant outcomes, and save lives.