Improved results of preservation of hepatic grafts preflushed with albumin and prostaglandins

A uniform, low-pressure flush not associated with significant hepatocellular or interstitial edema is a prerequisite for successful liver graft preservation. Intracellular type electrolyte solutions similar to those used in kidney preservation are widely employed in clinical liver transplantation. However, hepatic flushing has a unique set of problems including the dual blood supply, the size and location of the liver, and the logistic of preterminal cannulation of the portal vein. As most commonly practiced, the portal vein is preflushed with Ringer's lactate solution until aortic flush is begun, then the portal flushing solution is converted to Eurocollins solution. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of portal preflushing with human serum albumin (HSA) and the vasodilator prostaglandin E1 (PGE₁) on postreimplantation function.