Ex-vivo lung perfusion

Purpose of review Lung transplant continues to be hampered by the number of available donors. Ex-vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) has emerged as an essential tool for the reassessment, under a controlled scenario, of lungs that initially did not meet transplantation criteria. The purpose of the current study is to review the most recent clinical and research reports and summarize their findings. Recent findings Several centers have presented positive data when using ex-vivo perfusion to identify better grafts from the higher risk donor pool. The posttransplant results, when using these organs, are not significantly different from those obtained when using standard criteria donors. In addition, a great amount of research reports have emphasized the potential of ex-vivo perfusion as a platform in reducing the injurious effects of ischemia-reperfusion. Summary EVLP has been shown to be an effective system to expand donor pool for lung transplantation without detriment to recipients. Future potential ex-vivo developments may further improve patient outcomes as well as increasing availability of donor organs.