title: Extended preservation of human liver grafts with UW solution.
abstract: The fate of 185 cadaveric liver homografts preserved for four to 24 hours with University of Wisconsin (UW) solution was compared with that of 180 grafts preserved for three to 9 1/2 hours with conventional Euro-Collins solution. Although the average preservation time of the UW-preserved livers was almost twice as long as that of the Euro-Collins-preserved livers, the UW-preserved grafts survived at a higher rate; permitted equal patient survival; and had a lower rate of primary nonfunction, a reduced need for retransplantation, and a lower rate of hepatic artery thrombosis. There was no correlation between the time of preservation of UW-preserved grafts up to 24 hours and liver function abnormalities in the first postoperative week. In contrast, livers preserved with Euro-Collins solution for more than five hours had significantly increased perturbations of hepatic function tests. The potential revolutionary effect of the UW solution on liver transplantation is described herein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Health Center of Pittsburgh, PA 15213.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Todo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nery
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yanaga
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Podesta
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Starzl
mesh_terms: D002423:Cause of Death; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000502:physiology; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D012996:Solutions; D013997:Time Factors; D014021:Tissue Preservation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D012996:Solutions