Assessing Declined Liver Grafts With Normothermic Machine Perfusion to Reduce Transplant Waiting Time

Launched by CHARITE UNIVERSITY, BERLIN, GERMANY · Mar 7, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a new method to help more people get liver transplants faster. The researchers want to find out if using a machine to keep donated livers working outside the body, known as normothermic machine perfusion, can make livers that were once considered unsuitable available for transplant. They aim to see if this approach can reduce waiting times for patients, increase the number of usable donor livers, and improve health and survival after the transplant.

To participate, you need to be at least 18 years old, on the waiting list for a liver transplant, and meet certain health criteria. You cannot be pregnant or listed for a retransplant. If you join the study, you will be randomly placed in one of two groups: one group may receive a liver that has been tested and found suitable after machine perfusion, while the other group will get a liver through the usual process. Throughout the study, researchers will track how quickly participants receive a transplant and their overall health and recovery afterward. This trial could help make liver transplants more effective and accessible for many patients.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Able to consent
• • ≥ 18 years old
• • Listed in status "transplantable" by the transplant conference of the study centre for liver transplantation, according to the guidelines of the German Medical Association valid at the time of inclusion
• • ReMELD-Na-Score ≤ 21 (equivalent to MELD ≤25), not eligible for \[non\]standard exceptions
• • Medically suitable and informed for transplantation with an organ that fulfils extended donor criteria (Eurotransplant ECD criteria)
• • Patient information and written consent to participate in the Extra trial
• • No participation in another interventional study during participation
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Listed for retransplantation
• • High-Urgency Listing
• • Listed for combined organ transplantation
• • Pregnancy