Reduction of primary graft dysfunction using cytokine filtration following acute respiratory distress syndrome in lung transplantation

Abstract Despite improvements, lung transplantation (LTx) remains hampered by both a scarcity of donor organs and by mortality following primary graft dysfunction (PGD). Since acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) limits donor lungs utilization, we investigated cytokine filtration as a means of restoring ARDS donor lungs. We induced mild to moderate ARDS using lipopolysaccharide in 12 donor pigs. Lungs were then treated with or without cytokine filtration during ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) and post-transplantation using extracorporeal hemoperfusion. The treatment significantly decreased cytokine levels during EVLP and decreased levels of immune cells post-transplantation. Histology demonstrated fewer signs of lung injury across both treatment periods and the incidence of PGD was significantly reduced among treated animals. Overall, cytokine filtration was able to restore lung function and reduce PGD in lung transplantation. We suggest this treatment will increase the availability of donor lungs and increase the tolerability of donor lungs in the recipient.