Advances in machine perfusion, organ preservation, and cryobiology: potential impact on vascularized composite allotransplantation.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose of review

In this review, we discuss novel strategies that allow for extended preservation of vascularized composite allografts and their potential future clinical implications for the field of vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA).

Recent findings

The current gold standard in tissue preservation - static cold preservation on ice - is insufficient to preserve VCA grafts for more than a few hours. Advancements in the field of VCA regarding matching and allocation, desensitization, and potential tolerance induction are all within reasonable reach to achieve; these are, however, constrained by limited preservation time of VCA grafts. Although machine perfusion holds many advantages over static cold preservation, it currently does not elongate the preservation

SUBMITTER: Burlage LC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6449688 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature