RESUSCITATION OF CADAVERIC LIVERS FROM NON-HEART-BEATING DONORS AFTERWARM ISCHEMIC INSULT - A NOVEL TECHNIQUE TESTED IN THE RAT

Clinical liver transplantation has become the therapy of choice in end -stage liver disease, but the limited availability of suitable donor o rgans still impedes its widespread application. In order to increase t he availability of donor organs for liver transplantation, it would be advantageous if ischemically damaged livers could be resuscitated fro m cadavers in which the heart has stopped beating. A method for doing this has been developed in a rat model. Compared to livers excised fro m rats in which the heart is still beating, severe deteriorations of t issue integrity and functional performance were evident in predamaged livers after cold preservation without supplementary treatment. A trea tment of those livers which included an antioxidant rinse with superox ide dismutase, and venous vascular insufflation of gaseous oxygen duri ng preservation, completely prevented tissue alterations upon reperfus ion, and promoted a functional recovery of the livers, making them com parable to organs harvested from heart-beating donors.