AUTHOR=He Xiaoshun , Chen Guodong , Zhu Zebin , Zhang Zhiheng , Yuan Xiaopeng , Han Ming , Zhao Qiang , Zheng Yitao , Tang Yunhua , Huang Shanzhou , Wang Linhe , van Leeuwen Otto B. , Wang Xiaoping , Chen Chuanbao , Mo Liqiu , Jiao Xingyuan , Li Xianchang , Wang Changxi , Huang Jiefu , Cui Jun , Guo Zhiyong 

TITLE=The First Case of Ischemia-Free Kidney Transplantation in Humans

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=6

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2019.00276

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2019.00276

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) has been considered an inevitable event in organ transplantation since the first successful kidney transplant was performed in 1954. To avoid IRI, we have established a novel procedure called ischemia-free organ transplantation. Here, we describe the first case of ischemia-free kidney transplantation (IFKT).</p><p><bold>Materials and Methods:</bold> The kidney graft was donated by a 19-year-old brain-dead donor. The recipient was a 47-year-old man with end-stage diabetic nephropathy. The graft was procured, preserved, and implanted without cessation of blood supply using normothermic machine perfusion.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The graft appearance, perfusion flow, and urine production suggested that the kidney was functioning well-during the whole procedure. The creatinine dropped rapidly to normal range within 3 days post-transplantation. The levels of serum renal injury markers were low post-transplantation. No rejection or vascular or infectious complications occurred. The patient had an uneventful recovery.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> This paper marks the first case of IFKT in humans. This innovation may offer a unique solution to optimizing transplant outcomes in kidney transplantation.</p>