Personal experience with the procurement of 132 liver allografts

Abstract. A single donor surgeon's experience procuring the livers from 132 donors is described. Thirty-seven grafts (28. 9%) had hepatic arterial anomalies, 19 (14. 4%) of which required arterial reconstruction prior to transplantation. Of the 121 grafts evaluated for early function, 103 grafts (85. 2%) functioned well, whereas 14 grafts (11. 6%) functioned poorly and 4 grafts (3. 3%) failed to function at all. The variables associated with less than optimal function of the graft consisted of donor age ( P <0. 05), duration of donor's stay in the intensive care unit ( P < 0. 005), abnormal graft appearance ( P < 0. 05), and such recipient problems as vascular thromboses during or immediately following transplantation ( P < 0. 005). A new preservation fluid, University of Wisconsin solution, allowed safe and longer cold storage of the liver allograft than did Euro-Collins' solution ( P < 0. 0001). A parameter of liver allograft viability, which is simple and predictive of allograft function prior to the actual transplant procedure, is urgently needed.