Liver transplantation from type II donation after cardiac death donor with normothermic regional perfusion and normothermic machine perfusion.

Background: The current imbalance between donor supply and patients on the waiting list for liver transplantation (LT) is significant. To resolve this situation, marginal organs, such as those from type 2 donation after cardiac death (DCD2), are being considered.

Methods: In the present article, we present the first LT with a new protocol consisting in normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) and normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) for a type 2 DCD graft initially rejected for LT.

Results: After a favorable evolution with NMP (improved macroscopic appearance of the graft, acid-base equilibrium control and bile production), the transplantation was performed without major incidents. The evolution of the graft and patient were favorable. After 3 months, cholangiography showed no signs of ischemic cholangiopathy.

Conclusions: Three-month patient and graft survival are encouraging, but more cases are needed to test the clinical efficacy of the new protocol.