The Effects of Glucose/Ischemic Preconditioning on Reperfusion Injury in Deceased-Donor Liver Transplantation

Overview

Standard liver retrieval procedures for transplantation from a deceased donor inevitably result in a "reperfusion injury" to the liver tissue. The purpose of this research study is to find out whether treatment of the liver with a "preconditioning" protocol before its removal from the donor will help reduce any of this injury. The "preconditioning" treatment being tested has two components. Firstly, a solution of glucose+insulin is infused and secondly, blood flow to the liver is stopped briefly (10 minutes) and then resumed. Both strategies, individually, have been shown to reduce liver tissue injury in human studies. We hypothesize that combining both strategies will have a clinical benefit to patients and will improve liver function following transplant.

Liver transplantation is the only chance of cure for patients with end-stage liver disease. Unfortunately, standard organ preservation results in an ischemic-reperfusion injury (IRI) at the time of graft implantation. Novel strategies have been proposed to decrease reperfusion injury and improve graft function. This study will be the first to combine both strategies in a randomized, prospective trial. The intervention will occur during the retrieval surgery prior to cold preservation. Briefly, a glucose and insulin solution will be infused via the mesenteric vein at a controlled rate. Immediately prior to cross-clamping, blood supply to the liver will be restricted for 10 minutes and then resumed for 10 minutes before beginning cold preservation. All remaining surgical procedures, including the recipient surgery, will be performed by standard techniques. The liver recipient does not directly receive any intervention during this study.