In the current study, outcomes in recipients of EVLP-treated lungs at two Scandinavian centers were compared to recipients of conventional, non-EVLP donor lungs. Lungs from brain-dead donors (DBD) that were primarily rejected for transplantation were subjected to EVLP (n=61), resulting in 54 transplants (47 bilateral, and 7 single lung transplants). During the same period, 271 conventional lung transplants were performed and served as a control-group. The study demonstrates that while early post-transplant outcomes, time to extubation, and time in ICU, were longer in the EVLP-group, this was not reflected in mid- and long-term outcomes. Retransplantation-free survival at 1-year was 87% and 83% in recipients of EVLP-lungs and standard donor lungs, respectively; and survival rates remained comparable during the entire 5-year follow-up.
Eur J Cardiothorac Surg / 2018 / doi: 10.1093/ejcts/ezy354
