• S A Hosgood, A D Barlow, J P Hunter, and M L Nicholson.
• Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Transplant Group, University of Leicester, Leicester General Hospital, Leicester, UK.
• Br J Surg. 2015 Oct 1;102(11):1433-40.

BackgroundA significant proportion of kidneys procured for transplantation are discarded because of concerns about their suitability. In this study ex vivo normothermic perfusion (EVNP) was used as a quality assessment device before renal transplantation.MethodsSeventy-four human kidneys deemed unsuitable for transplantation following retrieval underwent 60 min of EVNP with an oxygenated red cell-based solution at 36°C. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to identify thresholds of renal blood flow and urine output. These thresholds and a grading of macroscopic appearance were incorporated into an EVNP assessment score (highest quality, 1; lowest, 5). This was applied to a series of 36 kidneys transplanted after EVNP.ResultsIn the discarded kidney series, 60 (81 per cent) scored 1-4 and 14 (19 per cent) scored 5. Although none of these kidneys was transplanted, those with a score from 1 to 4 were considered suitable for transplantation. In the 36 transplanted kidneys, the score ranged between 1 and 3 (score 1, 17; score 2, 11; score 3, 8). All of these kidneys were transplanted without any complications or primary non-function. The delayed graft function rate was 6 per cent (1 of 17) in kidneys scoring 1, 0 per cent (0 of 11) in those scoring 2 and 38 per cent (3 of 8) in those scoring 3 (P = 0·024). The mean(s.d.) estimated glomerular filtration rate at 12 months was 51(16), 63(15) and 38(21) ml in kidneys scoring 1, 2 and 3 respectively (P = 0·015).ConclusionEVNP combined with a simple scoring system is an innovative technology for pretransplant assessment of kidney quality and acceptability for transplantation. This study suggests that a high percentage of retrieved kidneys are being discarded unnecessarily.© 2015 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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