Heterotopic heart-unilateral left lung transplantation in dogs

A technique is presented for transplantation of the heart and left lung in the canine model. Preservation of the recipient's heart and right lung allowed heterotopic en bloc transplantation of the donor organs, thus preserving the normal respiratory pattern and obviating the need for cardiopulmonary bypass. Four experiments were performed to develop the surgical technique. The mean survival of the remaining 10 dogs studied was 23 +/- 28 days (range 3 to 91 days). The transplanted heart and lung could be investigated as in orthotopic heart-lung transplantation; bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and endobrachial biopsy as well as endomyocardial biopsy were performed by standard approaches. This model is suitable for physiological and immunological long-term observations of cardiopulmonary transplantation in dogs.