TY  - JOUR
A1  - Pratschke, Sebastian
A1  - Eder, Michael
A1  - Heise, Michael
A1  - Nadalin, Silvio
A1  - Pascher, Andreas
A1  - Schemmer, Peter
A1  - Scherer, Marcus N.
A1  - Ulrich, Frank
A1  - Wolters, Heiner
A1  - Jauch, Karl-Walter
A1  - Wöhling, Dirk
A1  - Angele, Martin Kurt
T1  - Protocol TOP-Study (tacrolimus organ perfusion): a prospective randomized multicenter trial to reduce ischemia reperfusion injury in transplantation of marginal liver grafts with an "ex vivo" tacrolimus perfusion
T2  - Transplantation research
N2  - Background: Critical organ shortage results in the utilization of extended donor criteria (EDC) liver grafts. These marginal liver grafts are prone to increased ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) which may contribute to deteriorated graft function and survival. Experimental data have shown that the calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus exerts protective effects on hepatic IRI when applied intravenously or directly as a hepatic rinse. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to examine the effects of an ex vivo tacrolimus perfusion on IRI in transplantation of EDC liver grafts.
Methods/Design: The TOP-Study (tacrolimus organ perfusion) is a randomized multicenter trial comparing the ex vivo tacrolimus perfusion of marginal liver grafts with placebo. We hypothesize that a tacrolimus rinse reduces IRI, potentially improving organ survival following transplantation of EDC livers. The study includes livers with two or more EDC, according to Eurotransplant International Foundation’s definition of EDC livers. Prior to implantation, livers randomized to the treatment group are rinsed with tacrolimus at a concentration of 20 ng/ml in 1000 ml Custodiol solution and in the placebo group with Custodiol alone. The primary endpoint is the maximum serum alanine transamninase (ALT) level within the first 48 hours after surgery; however, the study design also includes a 1-year observation period following transplantation. The TOP-Study is an investigator-initiated trial sponsored by the University of Munich Hospital. Seven other German transplant centers are participating (Berlin, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Mainz, Münster, Regensburg, Tübingen) and aim to include a total of 86 patients.
Discussion: Tacrolimus organ perfusion represents a promising strategy to reduce hepatic IRI following the transplantation of marginal liver grafts. This treatment may help to improve the function of EDC grafts and therefore safely expand the donor pool in light of critical organ shortage.
Trial register: EudraCT number: 2010-021333-31, ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01564095
KW  - Liver transplantation
KW  - Organ shortage
KW  - Extended donor criteria
KW  - Marginal grafts
KW  - Tacrolimus
KW  - Organ rinse
KW  - Graft function
KW  - Graft survival
Y1  - 2013
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/29525
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-295256
SN  - 2047-1440
N1  - © 2013 Pratschke et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
VL  - 2
IS  - 3
PB  - BioMed Central
CY  - London
ER  -