In addition to factors such as the age and state of health of the donor, organ preservation plays a decisive role in the functionality of an organ and thus in the success of the transplant.
In recent years, there have been many efforts to improve organ quality in this regard. Compared to classical cryopreservation, which is usually associated with ischemia/reperfusion damage due to cool storage, rewarming and blood flow in the recipient, (normothermic) organ perfusion and preservation using dynamic flow principles (machine perfusion) can significantly improve organ quality.
With the help of TIVITA®, organ quality could be examined efficiently, with little time expenditure and non-invasively. In addition to the pre-operative analysis of the viability of the organ, the organ storage and treatment as well as the short-term success of the transplantation at the end of the operation (control of tissue perfusion) can be assessed on the basis of parameters for tissue oxygenation and blood flow. This means that the surgeon can already objectively assess before the operation whether the organ is suitable for transplantation or not. In addition, it is possible for him/her to check directly after the transplantation whether the blood vessels were sutured correctly and the organ is sufficiently supplied with blood.
In a recent study by Sucher et al (2020), intraoperative HSI was successful in objectively assessing the viability and performance of the renal parenchyma and ureter of kidney grafts and predicting delayed graft function.
The method of organ preservation by machine perfusion is currently being researched in Leipzig and Innsbruck. In these studies, the TIVITA® serves as a monitoring instrument to assess organ quality prior to transplantation or during organ treatment during machine perfusion.