Customized normothermic machine perfusion decreases ischemia-reperfusion injury compared with static cold storage in a porcine model of liver transplantation

Background Liver transplantation has been demonstrated to be the best treatment for several liver diseases, while grafts are limited. This has caused an increase in waiting lists, making it necessary to find ways to expand the number of organs available for transplantation. Normothermic perfusion (NMP) of liver grafts has been established as an alternative to static cold storage (SCS), but only a small number of perfusion machines are commercially available. Methods Using a customized ex situ machine perfusion, we compared the results between ex situ NMP and SCS preservation in a porcine liver transplant model. Results During NMP, lactate concentrations were 80% lower after the 3-h perfusion period, compared with SCS. Bile production had a 2.5-fold increase during the NMP period. After transplantation, aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels were 35% less in the NMP group, compared to the SCS group. In pathologic analyses of grafts after transplant, tissue oxidation did not change between groups, but the ischemia-reperfusion injury score was lower in the NMP group. Conclusion NMP reduced hepatocellular damage and ischemia-reperfusion injury when compared to SCS using a customized perfusion machine. This could be an alternative for low-income countries to include machine perfusion in their therapeutic options.