Background: In order to reduce the shortage of viable donor livers for organ transplantation, a method has been developed that allows even predamaged livers from nonheartbeating donors to be used as transplantable organs.
Methods: Porcine livers were harvested 45 min after cardiac arrest of the nonheparinized donor, preflushed with heparinized saline solution, and subsequently rinsed with University of Wisconsin solution, to which superoxide dismutase was added as an oxygen free radical scavenger. Thereafter, the livers were persufflated with gaseous oxygen via the venous vascular system while immersed in University of Wisconsin solution at 4 degrees C for 4 to 5 hr.
Results: After orthotopic transplantation, all of the livers conditioned with gaseous oxygen were able to support life-sustaining function during the whole observation period of 7 days post transplantation, while no survival of the recipients could be obtained without the described treatment.
Conclusions: The present study establishes a new perspective for the use of ischemically altered livers from nonheartbeating donors for organ transplantation under clinical circumstances.