Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion: Current Achievements and Future Directions

Abstract

There is a severe shortage in the availability of donor organs for lung transplantation. Novel strategies are needed to optimize utilization of available organs to address the growing global needs. Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) has emerged as a powerful tool for the assessment, rehabilitation, and optimization of donor lungs prior to transplantation. In this review we discuss the history of EVLP, current evidence on its use for standard and extended criteria donors and consider the exciting future opportunities that this technology provides for lung transplantation.