Preservation of Organs for Transplant - Research Paper Example

This paper seeks to analyze history of organ transplant, what happens to blood flow and metabolism; the length of time the tissue is available for transplant, size of the tissue in relation to efficacy of the methods of preservation, energy balance at the tissue/organ surface and how this may appropriate particular method, and the methods that are used in conjunction with hypothermia. Introduction Organ transplant is the effective therapy for end-state organ failure which primarily depends on the supply of organs of high quality and efficacy.

It was developed in 1960’s based on the functional knowledge by anatomists and physiologists on the requirements of to keep body organs viable and functioning outside the body. Organ preservation on the other hand acts as a logistic aspect to enable conducting of laboratory tests and organization of other clinical activities before the actual transplant (Toledo-Pereyra, 3). Organ preservation simply calls for slowing biological deterioration in organs removed from their normal physiological environment necessitating advancement of methods and approaches to achieve the process.

Methods Cooling: This involves reduction of temperatures to inhibit cellular metabolism and requirements for oxygen in a bid to prevent tissue injury. The organs are preserved in a specific solution which in most cases prevent the molecular, cell and tissue changes in a bid to prevent oxidative stress and inflammation/cytokine production which would affect the conditions of the tissue. Hypothermic Machine Perfusion [HMP]: this method depends on activating residual metabolism which greatly relies on energy generation synonymous with the mammalian need for oxygen supply for aerobic metabolism through vascular perfusion.

Simple Static cold storage [SCS]: It is associated with preservation for livers, lungs, pancreas or heart with a basic concept of cooling supplemented with use of special preservation solutions aimed at modifying inevitable cellular molecular changes. Discussion In cooling, blood flow and metabolism are suppressed so as to inhibit uncontrolled cellular/ molecular growth before the transplant. This elongates viability of the tissue/organ with respect to time by “chilling of organs” making it the widely used approach in the preservation history.

The efficacy of this method depends on the size of the tissue/organ which dictates the maximum time that it can be preserved before the transplant. The energy balance is based on the mitochondrial dysfunction by disrupting its membrane permeability allowing accumulation of calcium, sodium and water within the cell which in turn inhibits uncontrolled growth/destruction of the tissue. HMP on the other hand involves a non-pulsatile blood flow coupled with low/minimal oxygen supply and low temperatures to inhibit metabolic changes of energetic substrates.

Uniform myocardium cooling and constant supply of needed metabolic substances, facilitates early post-storage capacity a method that necessitates HMP in the liver transplant. Energy balance on this method relies on the balance of oxygen supply and the aeration of perfusates and the preservation solutions (Hornick and Marlene, 3). SCS involves much of the HMP procedures but differs with the concentration of chilled solutions and