£250,000 appeal success funds Addenbrooke’s new liver machine
Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) has reached its £250,000 liver transplant appeal target.
Last year, the trust purchased a new liver perfusion machine in the hope of raising the money.
The equipment, which has now been fully funded, allows surgeons to ‘test drive’ livers for quality before transplanting them.
Since the installation of the liver perfusion machine, the transplant team at Addenbrooke’s has tested 57 livers, of which 43 were able to be used.
Prof Christopher Watson, consultant transplant surgeon at Addenbrooke’s, said: “Having the machine allows Addenbrooke’s to use the greatest proportion of high-risk livers – those where subsequent function would otherwise be uncertain – than any other transplant centre in the UK.
“It also contributes to our having the best 30-day survival rate and the highest transplant rate per waiting list patient, meaning that fewer patients will die waiting for a liver.”
As more transplants are being carried out along with the forthcoming opt-out system for organ donation, ACT wants to ensure that the hospital is ready for this increased demand.
