Outcomes of normothermic machine perfusion of liver grafts in repeat liver transplantation (NAPLES initiative)
Angus Hann, Hanns Lembach, Anisa Nutu, B. K. Dassanayake, Suchintha Tillakaratne, Siobhan McKay, Amanda Pinter Carvalheiro da Silva Boteon, Yuri L. Boteon, Hynek Mergental, Nick Murphy, Mansoor N. Bangash, Desley Neil, J. L. Issac, Nasir Javed, Thomas Faulkner, David Bennet, Rachel Moore, Suresh Vasanth, G. Subash, J. Cuell, Ramya Rao, Hentie Cilliers, Samantha Cody Russel, Geoffrey Haydon, David Mutimer, Keith Roberts, Darius F. Mirza, James Ferguson, David Bartlett, John Isaac, Neil Rajoriya, Matthew J. Armstrong, Hermien Hartog, M. Thamara P. R. Perera
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Retransplantation candidates are disadvantaged owing to lack of good-quality liver grafts. Strategies that can facilitate transplantation of suboptimal grafts into retransplant candidates require investigation. The aim was to determine whether late liver retransplantation can be performed safely with suboptimal grafts, following normothermic machine perfusion. METHODS: A prospectively enrolled group of patients who required liver retransplantation received a suboptimal graft preserved via normothermic machine perfusion. This group was compared with both historical and contemporaneous cohorts of patient who received grafts preserved by cold storage. The primary outcome was 6-month graft and patient survival. RESULTS: The normothermic machine perfusion group comprised 26 patients. The historical (cold storage 1) and contemporaneous (cold storage 2) groups comprised 31 and 25 patients respectively. The 6-month graft survival rate did not differ between groups (cold storage 1, 27 of 31, cold storage 2, 22 of 25; normothermic machine perfusion, 22 of 26; P = 0.934). This was despite the normothermic machine perfusion group having significantly more steatotic grafts (8 of 31, 7 of 25, and 14 of 26 respectively; P = 0.006) and grafts previously declined by at least one other transplant centre (5 of 31, 9 of 25, and 21 of 26; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In liver retransplantation, normothermic machine perfusion can safely expand graft options without compromising short-term outcomes.