Orange County, CA - May 8th, 2018 - Despite many advances in transplant procedures over the past 30 years, the process of how the liver is preserved hasn’t changed. Surgeons preserve organs by packing them into sterile containers that are further cooled when surrounded by an icy slush mixture. New liquids are added to help the cells keep their shape, but the procedure remains the same; slow down the metabolism of the organ, and rush it to the recipient to avoid as much damage as possible. Deprived of blood the organ has no source of oxygen, meaning it injures itself in the process
To overcome this issue, OrganOX has taken a new approach and developed the Metra device. This new device is able to mimic the human body by constantly forcing red cells that carry oxygen at 37 degrees Celsius. It avoids any cooling and provides the nutrition it needs to stay functional during the preservation period.
During 2014 through 2016, the Metra device had trials in seven European transplant centers. The randomized trial of 220 liver transplants resulted in a 50% lower level of organ injury, and 54% longer organ preservation time. The study also showed no differences between the conventional storage and normothermic preservation.
In addition to preserving the organ for up to 24 hours, Metra also allows doctors to watch how the organ is taking in blood and letting out bile, which can better tell how it might work when inside a patient. If required, the organ can undergo treatment or repair before transplantation. If the liver performs well, it is then transplanted immediately.
The ability to keep an organ under close-to-normal conditions could be influential in making progress not only with liver transplantation, but also organ care and liver surgery in general. If approved for clinical practice, the results of keeping organs fresher for longer could help thousands on wait-lists. The Metra device is CE-marked for use in Europe and is undergoing clinical trials in the United States and Canada.
