Liver preservation: A comparison of celsior to colloid-free University of Wisconsin solution

Introduction. Celsior (GEL) was formulated specifically for heart preservation. Recently some preliminary reports have suggested that CEL is also effective for liver preservation. In this study liver preservation with CEL was compared to colloid-free University of Wisconsin solution (MUW). Methods, Arterialized rat liver isografts were flushed and stored for 24 hr at 0 degreesC in GEL or MUW before orthotopic transplantation. Plasma albumin, bilirubin, glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase were measured 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after surgery, Results. All recipients of MUW-preserved livers survived, none of the recipients of GEL-preserved grafts lived beyond 3 days. On day I, AST was raised in all rats but rats receiving GEL-preserved liver grafts were also markedly hypoglycemic, hypoalbuminemic and had elevated alkaline phosphatase. Conclusion. Celsior is not an effective solution for long-term Liver preservation in its present composition.