Graft rinse prior to reperfusion in liver transplantation: literature review and online survey within the Eurotransplant community

Graft rinse prior reperfusion in liver transplantation (LT) is believed to reduce the incidence of postreperfusion syndrome and improve clinical outcome. A MEDLINE search was performed to obtain a comprehensive review of the published literature dealing with graft rinse in LT. Moreover, all thirty-four LT centers in the Eurotransplant (ET) region were invited to participate in an online survey to whether or not graft rinse is performed and whether further research in the field is needed. Seventeen reports have been found to investigate graft rinse protocols in 1894 LT recipients. Eighteen of the thirty centers that participated in the online survey performed graft rinse prior reperfusion in LT. The most commonly used rinse solution was albumin. Nineteen centers stated interest in participating in a multicenter RCT in the field. The published literature does not provide concluding appraisal of the benefit of graft rinse in LT. Graft rinse protocols are not standardized and are based on personal experience. Appropriately designed clinical trials addressing the topic are demanded. The online survey appears to be a helpful tool for the evaluation of clinical practice and future research topics in the transplant community.