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NEW PRESERVATIVE EXTENDS LIFE OF HUMAN LIVER GRAFTS.

One of the major constraints on liver transplantation has been the brief period that the organ can be preserved after harvesting from the donor. Recently, researchers at the University of Wisconsin developed a preservative, named UW, that has been shown in animal transplant studies to extend the life of liver grafts. This study, from the University of Pittsburgh, reports the first results in human beings.

The researchers compared the fate of 185 liver grafts preserved in UW solution for 4 to 24 hours with that of 180 grafts preserved in the conventional Euro-Collins solution for 3 to 9.5 hours. They found that even though the UW- preserved grafts were preserved twice as long, they had a higher survival rate and a lower failure rate. Recipients of these livers were less likely to require retransplantation and had a lower rate of hepatic artery thrombosis. No relationship between preservation time and graft failure was seen with the UW-preserved livers for up to 24 hours, but livers preserved in Euro-Collins solution for longer than 5 hours were more likely to show abnormalities on liver function tests.

This development in liver preservation may have important effects on the feasibility of transplantation by increasing the time margin within which various procedures must be conducted and decisions must be made.

— THL

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine February 14, 1989

Citation(s):

Todo S et al. Extended preservation of human liver grafts with UW solution. JAMA 1989 Feb 3 261 711-714.

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