Does Ischemia Free Liver Procurement Under Normothermic Perfusion Benefit the Outcome of Liver Transplantation?

Abstract

Background: In contrast to conventional static cold preservation, normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) provides a beneficial alternative preservation of donor livers. However, the liver still suffered cold ischemic injury before attaching to the perfusion device. Material/Methods: To prevent cold ischemic injury during procurement, we describe a novel procedure called ischemia-free liver procurement (IFLP) under NMP. Two liver grafts were procured from brain death donor under NMP and underwent 2-hour ex vivo NMP followed by 3 and 6 hours of static cold preservation. From procurement to post-transplantation course, evidence was collected to prove that IFLP is safe and benefits recipients. Results: The post-transplantation course was uneventful, and the liver function tests and histological study revealed minimal hepatocyte and biliary epithelium injury during the preservation. Conclusions: This preliminary experience demonstrates the clinical feasibility and safety of IFLP under NMP which offering opportunities to increase the number of donor livers and to improve the organ function.