Kidney preservation with the UW and Euro-Collins solutions. A preliminary report of a clinical comparison.

This is a preliminary report of a European Multicenter Trial of the efficacy and safety of the UW solution in kidney preservation. The results obtained with the UW solution are compared with those obtained with Euro-Collins solution in a prospectively randomized study. To date 257 patients have been evaluated, with 128 receiving kidneys preserved in UW solutions and 129 receiving kidneys preserved in Euro-Collins solutions. Demographic characteristics of donors and recipients were identical in both groups. Median (and range) preservation times were similar (24 hr in EC and 24 hr in UW). Maximum preservation time in each group was about 48 hr. The results show that the UW solution is a safe preservation solution for kidneys, with postoperative renal functions, at least, equivalent to those seen in patients transplanted with kidneys preserved in EC solution. In this preliminary analysis of 257 kidneys, use of the UW solution resulted in a more rapid reduction in postoperative serum creatinine, higher creatinine clearance rate, and less postoperative dialysis (21% vs. 31%) when compared with kidneys preserved in EC solution. This study indicates that the UW solution is an effective preservation medium for clinical kidney transplantation. It supports the use of UW solution as a general flushout and cold storage solution for all intraabdominal organs used for transplantation.