EFFECT OF COLD ISCHEMIA TIME ON THE EARLY OUTCOME OF HUMAN HEPATIC ALLOGRAFTS PRESERVED WITH UW SOLUTION

Abstract

Five hundred ninety-three cadaveric livers were used for primary liver transplantation between October 24, 1987, and May 19, 1989. The grafts were procured with a combined method, using in situ cooling with cold electrolyte solution and backtable flushing with UW solution. The mean cold-ischemia time was 12.8 (range 2.4–34.7) hr. The cases were divided into 5 groups according to the cold-ischemia time: group 1: <10 hr (n=223); group 2:10–14 hr (n=188); group 3:15–19 hr (n=101); group 4: 20–24 hr (n=52); and group 5: ≥25 hr (n=29). There was no difference between the 5 groups in 1-year patient survival, highest SGOT in first week after operation, and SGOT and total bilirubin during the first month after operation. However, with a logistic regression model, the retransplantation rate (P=0.001) and primary nonfunction rate (P=0.006) significantly rose as cold-ischemia time increased, meaning that the equivalency of patient survival was increasingly dependent on aggressive retransplantation. © Williams & Wilkins 1991. All Rights Reserved.