• Damiano Patrono, Bruna Lavezzo, Luca Molinaro, Giorgia Rizza, Giorgia Catalano, Federica Gonella, Mauro Salizzoni, and Renato Romagnoli.
• From the Department of General Surgery, Liver Transplant Center, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Torino, Italy.
• Exp Clin Transplant. 2018 Apr 1; 16 (2): 172-176.

ObjectivesDue to widespread exploitation of extended criteria donors, machine perfusion is emerging as an alternative to static cold storage for organ preservation. Hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion has been associated with improved outcomes after liver transplant, both in laboratory and clinical settings. Here, we present our initial experience with hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion, evaluating incidence of postreperfusion syndrome, early allograft dysfunction, and long-term biliary complications.Materials And MethodsEnd-ischemic dual (hepatic artery and portal vein) hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion was carried out for 150 to 200 minutes before organ implantation in 4 liver transplants considered at increased risk due to donor, recipient, or matching issues.ResultsNo device malfunction occurred. Theatre logistics were minimally affected. Incidences of post-reperfusion syndrome and early allograft dysfunction were 25% and 50%. At 6-month follow-up, all patients were alive with normal hepatic function and no evidence of ischemic cholangiopathy.ConclusionsIn our experience, hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion appeared safe and logistically simple. Further studies are needed to assess the real value of this technique and to identify which subset of patients would benefit from its implementation.

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