Preserving Organs

A new machine has been developed that can keep a human liver viable outside the body for a week or more. The technology could mean the difference between life and death for thousands of people who die waiting for a donor liver.

Traditionally, harvested livers are preserved by flushing them with a cold solution and storing them on ice. This method can maintain viability for 12 to 18 hours. Recent improvements have extended that time up to 27 hours. But according to doctors, it takes about a week for a liver to begin regenerating when it has suffered damage. The new method would give them more time to assess the condition of the organ as it begins to repair itself.

The device mimics the human body by pumping blood through the liver to deliver oxygen and nutrients. A dialyzing component removes waste and toxins and a balloon resting under the liver acts like a diaphragm to alleviate pressure and prevent tissue damage. It’s been tested on ten human livers that had been rejected for transplant because of damage. After one week, six of the ten showed a decrease in damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs).

The next step is to demonstrate long-term function in large animals. The method could one day also be adapted for hearts and/or kidneys.