Successful Extension of Vascularized Composite Allograft Perfusion Cold Storage to 24 h in a Rat Hindlimb Transplant Model

Background. Vascularized composite allograft transplantation is a treatment option for complex tissue injuries; however, ischemia reperfusion injury and high acute rejection rates remain a challenge. Hypothermic machine perfusion using acellular storage perfusate is a potential solution. This study evaluated the University of Wisconsin Kidney Preservation Solution-1 (KPS-1) compared with normal saline (NS) for preservation of donor rat hindlimbs subjected to 24 h of ex vivo perfusion cold storage. Methods. Hindlimbs were subjected to 24-h perfusion cold storage with heparinized KPS-1 (n = 6) or heparinized NS (n = 6). Flow, resistance, and pH were measured continuously. At the end of the 24-h period, tissue was collected for histological analysis of edema and apoptosis. Results. KPS-1 perfused limbs showed significantly less edema than the NS group, as evidenced by lower limb weight gain (P