Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ameliorate hepatic injury in brain death rat donors with hemodynamic instability.

This article focuses on investigating how Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) affects liver function in donors after brain death (DBD) to improve liver transplantation outcomes. Using a rat model, the study demonstrated that ECMO stabilizes hemodynamics without the need for vasoactive drugs, reduces liver injury by attenuating inflammation and oxidative stress, and enhances liver function post-transplantation compared to pharmacological management alone. Although ECMO-supported grafts showed improved biochemical and histological liver parameters, no significant difference in short-term (72-hour) survival rates was observed, possibly due to limited sample size and observation period. The findings suggest ECMO as a potential therapeutic strategy for protecting donor livers in DBD transplantation, while emphasizing the need for cautious clinical application given its resource intensity and associated risks.