Strategies in Preservation of Abdominal Organs

Organ preservation is a fundamental part of the transplant process. With an increasing use of marginal donors, the bridging strategies from donor to recipient with optimal preservation are key to ensure adequate early function and survival. Several preservation solutions are currently in use and aim to maintain viability and allow rapid restoration of function after reperfusion. The preferred preservation method in the past decades has been static cold storage. However, with a change in donor organ quality, hypothermic machine preservation has been revisited, whilst new research explores the possibility of warm ex-situ machine preservation. This chapter reviews the principles of organ preservation, the main preservation solution and their use in modern transplant practice, and provides an insight into the future of organ preservation in the context of current research. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd..