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A High-Fidelity Porcine Model of Orthotopic Heart Transplantation Following Donation after Circulatory Death
Published on: June 6, 2025
Establishing a donation after cardiac death model in pigs
M Sereinigg1, A Puntschart, T Seifert-Held
1Department of Transplantation Surgery, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.
Transplantation Proceedings
|September 15, 2012
Summary
Researchers established a donation after cardiac death (DCD) pig model. This large animal model will help characterize organ quality and evaluate new treatments to improve graft survival in DCD donation.
Area of Science:
- Transplantation research
- Animal models in medicine
Background:
- Limited human organ donors necessitate expanded organ pool strategies.
- Donation after cardiac death (DCD) research faces challenges including oxidative stress impacting graft survival.
- A large animal model is crucial for advancing DCD research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a large animal model for donation after cardiac death (DCD) using pigs.
- To simulate Maastricht II and III DCD conditions in a porcine model.
Main Methods:
- Induction of cardiac fibrillation in 24 pigs using direct current.
- Simulation of non-heart-beating donation (Maastricht II and III criteria).
- Organ procurement following a defined period of ventricular fibrillation and reanimation.
Main Results:
- Successfully established a DCD pig model in a laboratory setting.
- Demonstrated feasibility of simulating Maastricht II and III DCD criteria.
- Collected blood and tissue samples for further analysis.
Conclusions:
- The established DCD pig model allows for precise characterization of organ quality.
- This model is valuable for evaluating improved organ storage conditions.
- The model facilitates assessment of donor treatments to enhance graft survival.
