Ex-vivo limb perfusion in military and civilian medicine: inspired by ex-vivo organ perfusion, pioneered for traumatic limb amputation and peripheral nerve regeneration.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Traumatic amputations have increased worldwide over the past two decades and are expected to increase by 72% by 2050. Surgical replantation provides superior functional recovery and patient satisfaction but is limited to specialized centers and restricted by short ischemia times, due to life-over-limb prioritization in patient care. To overcome these limitations, we developed an ex vivo limb perfusion system (EVEP) to extend limb viability and, for the first time, investigate its impact on peripheral nerve regeneration, a key prerequisite for functional recovery following replantation.

Methods

Hind limbs of 6 healthy pigs were amputated, and after 2 h of warm ischemia, limbs were either perfused normothermally for 6 h with PerfadexPlus® ± medication using in-house

SUBMITTER: Haastert-Talini K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12570661 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature