Machine Preservation Significantly Improves Kidney Transplant Survival Over 3 Years Compared to Traditional box of ice

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(R) Kidney Transporter compared to those stored in a traditional box of ice (static cold storage) (91% vs. 87%, p=0.04).[1] The graft survival difference at three years was most pronounced for kidneys from expanded criteria donors (86% vs. 76%, p=0.01). Expanded criteria donors are those over the age of 60 or those over 50 with health conditions such as high blood pressure, stroke or poor kidney function. Over the past decade, kidney donations from expanded criteria donors have increased considerably and today comprise nearly half of the deceased donor kidneys transplanted in the US and EU.
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%, p=0.02).
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."