Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026
A High-Fidelity Porcine Model of Orthotopic Heart Transplantation Following Donation after Circulatory Death
Published on: June 6, 2025
Ischemically damaged heart after preservation by the cavitary two-layer method as a possible donor in rat heart
Yasuhisa Kamoda1, Yasuhiro Fujino, Yasuki Tanioka
1Department of Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.
Insights
The cavitary two-layer (CTL) preservation method shows promise for using ischemically damaged donor hearts in transplantation. CTL-preserved hearts demonstrated successful outcomes in rat heart transplant models.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Organ Transplantation
- Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
Background:
- Ischemic damage to donor hearts poses a challenge in transplantation.
- Effective preservation methods are crucial for maintaining graft viability.
- The cavitary two-layer (CTL) method is explored for preserving damaged hearts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the potential of using ischemically damaged rat hearts preserved with the CTL method as donors for heart transplantation.
- To assess the efficacy of CTL preservation in mitigating ischemia-reperfusion injury in donor hearts.
Main Methods:
- Donor rat hearts underwent heterotopic transplantation.
- Groups included immediate transplantation, transplantation after 15- or 30-minute warm ischemia, and preservation using University of Wisconsin (UW) solution or CTL for 3 hours.
- Evaluated 5-day survival, tissue adenine triphosphate (ATP) levels, and histopathological findings.
Main Results:
- Hearts preserved with CTL after 15-minute warm ischemia (Group 4a) showed 7 of 8 survival.
- Significant recovery of tissue ATP levels was observed in Group 4a.
- CTL preservation effectively prevented ischemia-reperfusion injury compared to immediate transplantation of ischemic grafts.
Conclusions:
- The CTL preservation method is a viable option for utilizing ischemically damaged rat hearts in transplantation.
- CTL preservation successfully protected donor hearts from ischemia-reperfusion injury, improving transplant outcomes.
Background:
The purpose of this study was to examine the possibility of using an ischemically damaged heart, after preservation by the cavitary two-layer (CTL) method, as a donor in heart transplantation.
Methods:
Each donor heart was heterotopically transplanted to the recipient aorta. The grafts in Group 1 were immediately transplanted. In Group 2, the grafts with (a) 15- or (b) 30-minute warm ischemia were transplanted. The ischemically damaged grafts were transplanted after preservation for 3 hours in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution (Group 3) or CTL (Group 4). Five-day animal survival, tissue adenine triphosphate (ATP) concentration, biochemical assay and histopathologic data were obtained.
Results:
Five-day survival in Group 4a was 7 of 8, with significant recovery of the ATP tissue level (9.31 +/- 0.80 micromol/dry weight). Biochemical and pathologic examinations demonstrated that ischemia-reperfusion injury was prevented in Group 4a compared with Group 2a.
Conclusions:
An ischemically damaged rat heart preserved for 3 hours by CTL was found to be a potential donor in rat heart transplantation.
