| 摘要 |
An organ perfusion apparatus and method for monitoring, sustaining and/or restoring the viability of the organ and for preserving the organ for storage and/or transport perfuse the organ at normothermic temperatures (normothermic perfusion mode), preferably prior to and followed by organ perfusion at hypothermic temperatures (hypothermic perfusion mode) for transport and/or storage of the organ. The restoring of organ viability is accomplished by restoring high energy nucleotide (e.g., ATP) levels in the organ, which were reduced by warm ischemia time, by perfusing the organ with a medical fluid, such as an oxygenated cross-linked haemoglobin-based bicarbonate medical fluid, at normothermic temperatures. In the normothermic perfusion mode, organ perfusion pressure is preferably controlled in response to a sensor disposed in an end of tubing placed in the organ, by a pneumatically pressurized medical fluid reservoir which may be used in combination with a stepping motor/cam valve which provides for perfusion pressure fine tuning, preventing overpressurization and providing emergency flow cut-off. In the hypothermic mode, the organ is perfused with a medical fluid, preferably a simple crystalloid solution augmented with antioxidants, intermittently or at a slow continuous flow rate. The medical fluid may be fed into the organ by gravity from an intermediary tank which has a low pressure head so overpressurization of the organ is avoided. In either mode, preventing overpressurization prevents and/or reduces damage to the vascular endothelial lining and to the organ tissue in general. Also, viability of the organ may be automatically monitored in either mode, preferably by monitoring fluid characteristics of the medical fluid that has been perfused through the organ, such fluid characteristics being indicative of organ viability. The perfusion process can be automatically control using a control program. |
