AOPO 2025 Annual Meeting
The AOPO Annual Meeting brings organ, tissue, and eye procurement professionals from across the country together under one roof to share ideas, create connections, and educate the donation and transplant community.
Join us at the AOPO 2025 in Denver, CO June 22–24, 2025.
We look forward to seeing you at AOPO’s 42nd Annual Meeting in Denver, CO which brings together organ, tissue, and eye procurement professionals from across the country together under one roof to share ideas, create connections, and educate the donation and transplant community.
Meta-Analysis and Clinical Guidance of Oxygenated Hypothermic Machine Perfusion for Kidney Transplantation
In the first meta-analysis examining the role of HMPO2 in kidney transplantation finds it may lower adverse events, particularly in DCD cases.
Highlights
- HMPO2 reduced the number of patients with adverse events and the proportion of severe adverse events.
- HMPO2 performed better in donation after cardiac death, and continuous
- HMPO2 was superior to end-HMPO2.
Background
It remains unclear whether oxygenated hypothermic machine perfusion (HMPO2) during kidney preservation is beneficial for prognosis.
Methods
A comprehensive search of databases and clinical trial registries was conducted to identify eligible studies on HMPO2 application during kidney transplantation. A multi-subgroup analysis was further conducted to explore the heterogeneity among studies.
Results
Compared to the control treatment, HMPO2 did not significantly alter the incidence of postoperative acute rejection, graft survival, patient mortality, delayed graft function (DGF), functional DGF, primary nonfunction, or estimated glomerular filtration rate, whereas the warm ischemia time appeared to be longer. However, the number of patients with adverse events and the proportion of severe adverse events were reduced in the HMPO2 group. Subgroup analysis indicated that HMPO2 performed better in donation after cardiac death (DCD), and continuous HMPO2 was superior to end-HMPO2.
Waters Medical Systems DCX FDA-cleared
The future of kidney perfusion just got FDA–cleared.
We’re thrilled to announce that our DCX organ cassette has received FDA 510(k) clearance — a milestone in our mission to preserve more kidneys for more patients. Part of our end-to-end platform integrating the RM4 kidney perfusion system, DCX cassette, and Pulsatile Preservation Solution, the DCX is designed to evolve the gold standard in hypothermic kidney perfusion, offering:
- Preservation of one or two kidneys
- Direct oxygenation inside the cassette
- Full organ immersion in preservation solution
- Hermetically-locking lid for infection control
This is just the beginning. We’re driven to advance innovation where it matters most: patients waiting for a second chance.
The Evolution of Kidney Graft Preservation Through the Years
Abstract
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a prevalent disease affecting almost 10% of the world’s population, with many cases progressing to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Kidney transplantation (KT) is the gold-standard treatment for ESKD. Due to growing KT waitlists, the deceased kidney donor (DKDs) criteria have expanded to increase the number of available kidney grafts. Kidney graft preservation ensures optimal graft function after KT. Static cold storage (SCS) as a preservation method is still widely used. Hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) has proven to decrease delayed graft function (DGF) and increase graft survival. Most recent studies advocate for the use of HMP regardless of donor type. However, emerging technologies, such as hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion (HOPE) and normothermic machine perfusion (NMP), have shown promising results in specific scenarios. This review aims to provide a summary of the well-established kidney graft preservation methods and their outcomes, as well as novel technological advances that allow for newer preservation strategies.
2025 Winter Symposium
The Winter Symposium is one of the leading annual meetings focused on transplant surgery. The 25th Annual Winter Symposium will take place on January 16-19, 2025 at the beautiful Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix, AZ.
We hope to see you at the 2025 Winter Symposium!
The Role of Glutathione in Protecting against the Severe Inflammatory Response Triggered by COVID-19
We highlight the relevance of restoring GSH levels in the attempt to protect the most vulnerable subjects from severe symptoms of COVID-19.
Summary
The novel COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the world’s population differently: mostly in the presence of conditions such as aging, diabetes and hypertension the virus triggers a lethal cytokinestorm and patients die from acute respiratory distress syndrome, whereas in many cases the dis‐ease has a mild or even asymptomatic progression. A common denominator in all conditions associated with COVID-19 appears to be the impaired redox homeostasis responsible for reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation; therefore, levels of glutathione (GSH), the key antioxidant guardian in all tissues, could be critical in extinguishing the exacerbated inflammation that triggers organ failure in COVID-19. The present review provides a biochemical investigation of the mechanisms leading to deadly inflammation in severe COVID-19, counterbalanced by GSH. The pathways competing for GSH are described to illustrate the events concurring to cause a depletion of endogenous GSH stocks. Drawing on evidence from literature that demonstrates the reduced levels of GSH in the main conditions clinically associated with severe disease, we highlight the relevance of restoring GSH levels in the attempt to protect the most vulnerable subjects from severe symptoms of COVID-19. Finally, we discuss the current data about the feasibility of increasing GSH levels, which could be used to prevent and subdue the disease.
Original and generic preservation solutions in organ transplantation. A new paradigm?
As generics enter the organ preservation space, researchers question if they meet the same standards critical to transplant success.
Solid organ transplantation is a very complex process, in which the storage of the graft in a preservation solution is mandatory in order to extend ischemic times and contain further damage. The condition in which the organ is transplanted is critical for the outcome of the organ recipient. The recent emergence of generic versions of organ preservation solutions (solutions with the same composition and under the same legislation as the original versions, but with different brands) compelled us to study whether the standards are maintained when comparing the original and its generic counterpart. Along these lines, we discuss and comment on some aspects concerning this issue of general interest in the organ transplantation field.
Delayed Kidney Transplantation After 83 Hours of Cold Ischemia Time In Combined Liver-Kidney Transplant
The field of kidney transplantation (KTx) has evolved with hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) to extend the time between procurement and transplant expanding the shipping distance (e.g. East-to-West coast in the U.S.).
Summary
The field of kidney transplantation (KTx) has evolved with hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) to extend the time between procurement and transplant expanding the shipping distance (e.g. East-to-West coast in the U.S.). HMP also enabled to limit the harmful effect of cold ischemia time (CIT), therefore, decreased the rate of delayed graft function (DGF).1 Studies on long-term effects of CIT showed proportional increase in DGF and graft failure with each hour of CIT.2 In case of combined liver-kidney transplantation (CLKTx), the recipient is critically ill with coagulopathy, hyperbilirubinemia, and on pressor(s) support immediately after liver transplantation (LTx), creating an unfavorable hostile environment for the kidney allograft. Therefore, it is preferable that KTx is delayed with the support of HMP.3 We previously showed a novel approach of delaying the kidney portion of CLKTx in a cohort of 61 patients with a mean CIT of 50 hours (range 20-81 hours) with excellent outcomes in patient survival.3,4 Our studies confirmed that DGF is the most important negative predictor of patient survival in this complex group of patients.
A Novel Approach in Combined Liver and Kidney Transplantation With Long-Term Outcomes
In the first meta-analysis examining the role of HMPO2 in kidney transplantation finds it may lower adverse events, particularly in DCD cases.
Background
The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of simultaneous and delayed implantation of kidney grafts in combined liver-kidney transplantation (CLKT).
Liver allocation according to the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) system was introduced in 2002. As a direct consequence, there was a rapid increase in the yearly number of combined liver-kidney transplants (CLKTs), as patients with renal failure had a consistently high MELD score.1 As many as 30% of liver transplant (LT) patients have renal insufficiency at the time of transplant, contributing significantly to their overall MELD score.1,2 The selection of candidates for CLKT, however, is complex because renal disease associated with liver failure may be acute or chronic in nature. As a consequence, there is no well-defined allocation policy for patients listed for CLKT.3,4 Despite ‘‘proposed’’ listing criteria for CLKT, several transplant centers use more liberal selection criteria to minimize post-LT kidney failure.5,6 Nadim et al7 conducted a survey of 88 transplant centers that perform CLKT in the United States to determine practice patterns. The majority of centers in this study (73%) used dialysis duration for acute renal failure as a cutoff for CLKT listing, with duration varying between >4 and >8 weeks. There were 30% of centers that used any acute kidney injury alone as adequate criterion for determining the need for CLKT.7