Summary

Introduction: Cold storage (CS) is the most widely used organ-preservation procedure, its main advantages being its ready availability or ease of transport. However, the increasing use of donors with wider selection criteria renders it necessary to use other methods, such as the pulsatile perfusion machine (PPM), in order to enhance organ viability.

Objectives: To assess the cost-effectiveness and safety of kidney storage. The following variables were assessed: delayed graft function (DGF); primary nonfunction (PNF) of renal graft; graft or patient survival; and increases in costs.

Methods: A review was made of the scientific literature until 11 December 2012, with a subsequent update until 14 February 2013, using the following
databases:
• those specialising in systematic reviews, such as HTA (Health
Technology Assessment), DARE (Database of Abstracts of Reviews of
Effectiveness), NHS EED (NHS Economic Evaluation Database) and the
Cochrane Library Plus; and,
• general databases, such as Medline, Embase and ISI Web of Knowledge (WoK). Acting independently, two reviewers selected and reviewed the papers on the basis of pre-established inclusion criteria. The data were then summarized in evidence tables.

Result, conclusions, discussion and recomendations see pdf below