Machine perfusion offers significant improvements for 3-year graft survival in kidney transplantation

Study results published today in the New-England-Journal of Medicine  show that 3-year graft survival is significantly greater in all transplanted kidneys machine perfused in the LifePort^® Kidney Transporter compared to those stored in a traditional box of ice (static cold storage) (91% vs. 87%). The graft survival difference at three years was most pronounced for kidneys from expanded criteria donors (86% vs. 76%).

When the results are analysed by donor type, they show that 3-year graft survival after machine perfusion compared to static cold storage was also significantly superior for kidneys donated after brain death (91% vs. 86%).

Machine-perfused kidneys with delayed graft function (DGF) - a delay in the recovery of renal function that requires dialysis within the first week after transplantation - had better 3-year graft survival (77%) than cold stored kidneys with DGF (62%).

"It is very interesting to see that the benefits in graft survival seen in this landmark study at 1 year with machine perfusion persist after 3 years compared to traditional cold storage methods," said lead author Cyril Moers, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands. "Since a growing number of organs available for transplantation come from older donors or from people with more complex medical conditions, it is particularly welcome that machine perfusion offers significant improvements for 3-year graft survival in kidneys from these donors and is a real step forward in kidney transplantation."

SOURCE Organ Recovery Systems