Preservation of cadaveric kidneys. Cold storage or machine perfusion?

Abstract

Transplantation results after kidney preservation by means of cold storage and machine perfusion were analyzed. Graft survival and function of 75 machine-perfused kidneys were the same as those of 2,686 kidneys preserved by cold storage. Cold storage, a relatively simple, safe, and inexpensive procedure, was preferred for the preservation of kidneys that had not been subjected to prolonged periods of warm ischemia. Machine perfusion could be used for kidneys damaged by ischemia, although its advantage over cold storage in these circumstances was not firmly established.