Liver preservation by single passage hypothermic "squirt" perfusion

Area of Science:

• Organ transplantation
• Surgical innovation
• Preservation techniques

Background:

• Donor liver availability is limited.
• Current organ transport methods pose challenges.
• Extending preservation times is crucial for liver transplantation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel hypothermic intermittent squirt perfusion technique for porcine liver preservation.
• To assess the viability of preserved porcine livers after orthotopic allografting.
• To evaluate the potential of this technique for clinical liver transplantation.

Main Methods:

• Single passage, hypothermic, intermittent squirt perfusion of porcine livers.
• Orthotopic allografting of preserved livers into recipient animals.
• Monitoring of recipient animal health post-transplantation.

Main Results:

• Porcine livers were successfully preserved for up to 17 hours using the described technique.
• Orthotopically allografted livers maintained recipient animals in good health.
• The technique demonstrated potential for extended organ preservation.

Conclusions:

• Hypothermic intermittent squirt perfusion is a promising method for extending porcine liver preservation time.
• This technique could facilitate the transport of donor livers between hospitals, similar to kidney transport.
• Successful application in clinical settings could significantly increase donor liver availability and improve transplantation logistics.