New liver preservation technique created

NEW YORK - U.S. medical researchers say they've developed a new technique for preserving pre-transplant livers that might improve patient outcomes. Currently, livers are preserved for transplantation using ice in a practice called "cold storage" that's been the standard for 20 years. But scien- tists at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center say the new technique might outperform stand- ard cold storage preservation. In the first study comparing the two techniques on transplant outcomes, researchers said the new hypothermic machine perfusion might offer improve- ments, including an expanded availability of organs for transplantation. The study led by Dr. James Guarrera found hypothermic machine perfusion is at least as good as cold storage in preserving donor livers and most likely consti- tutes an advance over the traditional method. Unlike cold storage, Guarrera said HMP dynamically simulates "aliveness"
by providing a continuous flow of oxygen and key nutrients to the liver, while diluting and removing toxins and waste products. "Cold storage is the easy way to preserve vital organs for transplant," Guarrera said. "But today, we have the technology to do better. And by better preserving donor livers and reducing preservation-related injury, we may be able to expand the pool of available organs, making liver transplantation available to more patients who need it." The study's findings are reported online in The American Journal of Transplantation and will be featured in the journal's February print issue.

Body Essentials - Herbalife