Machine perfusion for liver graft: Current status and future direction for clinical application in Japan

Abstract

The use of grafts from marginal donors including donation after cardiac death (DCD) would greatly contribute to the expansion of the donor organ pool. However, unlike the recipients with marginal graft experience a higher incidence of primary non-function (PNF), delayed graft function (DGF). Ultimately, DGF results in poor long-term graft survival.

The current organ shortage has stimulated interest for machine perfusion in the use of marginal liver grafts. This paper highlights the different preservation temperature and oxygenation for marginal liver grafts as a novel source of transplantation and provides a through overview from their history to a future direction.