Effects of Short-Term Normothermic and Subnormothermic Perfusion After Cold Preservation on Liver Transplantation From Donors After Cardiac Death

Background: Liver transplantation from donors after cardiac death (DCD) could increase the pool of organs. We previously reported that oxygenated subnormothermic (20°C-25°C) ex vivo liver perfusion (SELP) improved the graft viability in rats. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of SELP and normothermic (37°C) ex vivo liver perfusion (NELP) after cold storage (CS) in DCD liver grafts.

Methods: Male Wistar rats were used, and grafts were retrieved 30 minutes after cardiac arrest. We performed oxygenated NELP and SELP with a Krebs-Henseleit buffer for different time points and durations: Group 0, donation performed from heart-beating donors (control); Group 1 (DCD group), donation performed from DCD donors with no treatments; Group 2, NELP performed before CS (30 minutes); Group 3, NELP performed after CS (30 minutes); Group 4, SELP performed after CS (30 minutes); Group 5, SELP performed after CS (60 minutes); and Group 6, SELP performed after CS (90 minutes). After 15 minutes of incubation at room temperature, the grafts were reperfused under normothermic conditions for 60 minutes as a model of liver transplantation.

Results: No significant differences in body and liver weight were observed between all groups. In the SELP after CS groups, even 30 minutes of perfusion improved bile production, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-1β significantly compared with the DCD group (P < .05), comparable with NELP groups.

Conclusion: SELP rescued DCD livers from ischemia-reperfusion injury the same as the normothermic perfusion before or after CS groups. SELP after CS is more convenient than normothermic perfusion; hence, this technique may increase the organ pool.