Beating Heart Transplants – Overview and Implications for Anesthesiologists

As the demand of heart allografts for transplantation continues to rise, ex-vivo organ perfusion strategies are playing an increasingly important role in preservation of organs from donation after circulatory death (DCD) and extended-criteria donors. One such method utilizes the Organ Care System ™ (TransMedics, Andover, MA). Traditionally, this technique of preservation requires two periods of warm ischemia and subsequent cardioplegic arrest. In a novel surgical technique pioneered at our institution, heart allograft implantation no longer requires a second cardioplegic arrest.
Source: Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: Special Article Source Type: research