Graft rinse prior to reperfusion in liver transplantation: literature review and online survey within the Eurotransplant community

SummaryGraft rinse prior reperfusion in liver transplantation (LT) is believed to reducethe incidence of postreperfusion syndrome and improve clinical outcome. AMEDLINE search was performed to obtain a comprehensive review of the pub-lished literature dealing with graft rinse in LT. Moreover, all thirty-four LT cen-ters in the Eurotransplant (ET) region were invited to participate in an onlinesurvey to whether or not graft rinse is performed and whether further research inthe field is needed. Seventeen reports have been found to investigate graft rinseprotocols in 1894 LT recipients. Eighteen of the thirty centers that participated inthe online survey performed graft rinse prior reperfusion in LT. The most com-monly used rinse solution was albumin. Nineteen centers stated interest in partic-ipating in a multicenter RCT in the field. The published literature does notprovide concluding appraisal of the benefit of graft rinse in LT. Graft rinse proto-cols are not standardized and are based on personal experience. Appropriatelydesigned clinical trials addressing the topic are demanded. The online surveyappears to be a helpful tool for the evaluation of clinical practice and futureresearch topics in the transplant community.IntroductionIn liver transplantation (LT), graft rinse and reperfusionmethods are still a subject of controversy. Although newconcepts of transplant organ procurement, such as machineperfusion or normothermic perfusion, are evolving, coldstorage can be currently considered as part of the clinicalroutine in LT [1,2]. Application of hypothermia and graft