A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found machines that circulate fluid through a donated kidney while it is being preserved for transplant keeps the organ healthier than simply immersing it in fluid and transporting it on ice. 
 
The study discovered more than a quarter of the 336 kidneys shipped in cold storage failed to work properly right away, while only 20.8 percent of machine-preserved kidneys failed. This translates into a 43 percent reduction in failure after adjusting for a host of factors. Kidneys transported in the fluid circulating machine were 48 percent less likely to fail within one year.
 
Although this new method of preserving kidneys is more costly, it saves money after the first year because of the extra expense of caring for a patient whose kidney has failed because it was transported by conventional cold storage.

This article originally appeared in the January 2009 issue of Kidney Transplant Today.