Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion: Current Achievements and Future Directions

There is a severe shortage in the availability of donor organs for lung transplantation. Novel strategies are needed to optimize usage of available organs to address the growing global needs. Ex vivo lung perfusion has emerged as a powerful tool for the assessment, rehabilitation, and optimization of donor lungs before transplantation. In this review, we discuss the history of ex vivo lung perfusion, current evidence on its use for standard and extended criteria donors, and consider the exciting future opportunities that this technology provides for lung transplantation.

Automated summary

There is a significant shortage of donor organs for lung transplantation, and new strategies are needed to meet the growing global demand. Ex vivo lung perfusion has emerged as a powerful tool for evaluating and optimizing donor lungs before transplantation, providing exciting future opportunities for lung transplantation.