Protocol Development for DCD Heart Transplantation

Donation after circulatory determination of death (DCD) is a growing source of organs in abdominal and lung transplantation but has been avoided for heart transplantation due to risks of injury associated with uncontrolled warm ischemic arrest. Ex-vivo heart perfusion with the Organ Care System (OCS) provides a unique opportunity to assess the function and metabolic profile of hearts from DCD donors. We tested the hypothesis that OCS may actually promote recovery from ischemic injury with a goal to demonstrating the feasibility of this approach for use in DCD cardiac donors in the United States.

Source: The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation - March 31, 2018 Category: Transplant Surgery Authors: J.W. Smith, D. Helterline, A. Stempien-Otero Source Type: research