In vitro test of heart muscle viability

The purpose of the present study was to establish viability criteria for hearts perfused with a non-biological synthetic perfusate in a Langendorff type preparation. During hypothermic perfusion, the only discriminant between eight undamaged and four hypoxically damaged hearts was resistance to perfusion flow. At near normothermic conditions, the damaged hearts exhibited a decreased respiratory rate. It was also suggested that adrenalin stress of the isolated heart might be useful instead of orthotopic transplantation, as a final test of viability.