Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 5, 2025
Pre-clinical Model of Cardiac Donation after Circulatory Death
Published on: August 2, 2019
Mending hearts: A further strategy to improve cardiac donors availability
Nicola Pradegan1, Giuseppe Toscano1, Gino Gerosa1
1Heart Transplantation Unit, Cardio-Thoraco-Vascular Sciences and Public Health Department, University Padova Hospital, Padova, Italy.
Insights
Donor hearts with pre-existing conditions can be successfully transplanted. This study shows that structural cardiac abnormalities may not always prevent organ donation, expanding options for heart transplant recipients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Transplantation Medicine
- Organ Donation
Background:
- Increasing global demand for heart transplantation exceeds donor organ availability.
- Standard donor criteria limit the pool of viable hearts for transplantation.
- Exploring expanded donor criteria is crucial to meet recipient needs.
Abstract:
Patients listed for heart transplantation are increasing annually worldwide, but the limited number of available donor hearts restricts this treatment to a small fraction of potential recipients. Attempts have, therefore, been made to expand the donor pool by recruiting donors who may not satisfy the standard criteria for organ donation. We reviewed our early experience by using three donor hearts which were successfully transplanted either after correction or not of pre-existing defects (Case #1: Coronary fistula; Case #2: Takayasu syndrome; Case #3: Percutaneously repaired atrial septal defect), demonstrating that structural cardiac abnormalities might not always be an absolute contraindication to donation candidacy.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Kidney Transplant I: Introduction
01:29Cardiomyopathy V: Interprofessional Care