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Preserving livers at body temperature has been shown to improve transplant success and to increase the number of viable donor livers available for transplant, which could lead to shorter waiting lists for patients and lower mortality rates.

Preserving livers at body temperature has been shown to improve transplant success and to increase the number of viable donor livers available for transplant.

The research, published in the journal Nature, is the first multinational randomized study of its kind comparing conventional cold storage in an ice box with a technique called normothermic machine perfusion in 220 liver transplant patients. The device used for normothermic machine preservation was developed by OrganOx Ltd, a MedTech business spun-out from the University of Oxford as a result of a collaboration between Professor Peter Friend (Nuffield Deparmtent of Surgical Sciences) and Professor Constantin Coussios (Institute of Biomedical Engineering). 

Dr David Nasralla, lead author of the study, said: ‘This research has the potential to profoundly improve liver transplants globally.'

Find out more (University of Oxford website)

Read the coverage on BBC Health News

 

Further coverage

'Warm transplants' save livers and lives
Nature, 18/04/2018

"Warm Transplants" Save Livers and Lives
Scientific American, 19/04/2018

Machine transforms transplants by keeping livers alive outside of body for up to 24 hours
The Sun, 19/04/2018

Keeping donated livers warm could improve transplants
New York Post, 20/04/2018

New Organ Preservation Device Keeps Livers Alive Longer and Better for Transplantation
Medgadget, 20/04/2018