Extended Static Hypothermic Preservation In Cardiac Transplantation: A Case Report

The donor shortage poses a major limitation to use of heart transplantation. Novel strategies such as use of expanded-criteria donors with prolonged ischemia times are being employed to address this need. Recent developments in static hypothermia have allowed for the safe use of cardiac allografts with prolonged ischemic times.

We present the case of a 68-year-old woman with valvular cardiomyopathy refractory to medical therapy who underwent orthotopic heart transplantation with a cardiac allograft exposed to elevated ischemic times. This was achieved through use of the federally approved SherpaPak Cardiac Transport System for transportation of the allograft. This method of static hypothermic organ preservation allowed for a 330-minute total ischemic time, including 283 minutes of storage within the preservation system. The patient tolerated the procedure well and was discharged on postoperative day 10, with excellent graft function and no evidence of rejection 3 months postoperatively.

Though traditionally ischemic times of 240 minutes or less are recommended for cardiac allografts, we demonstrate, to our knowledge, the longest reported ischemic time of 330 minutes via use of a novel method of static hypothermia for organ preservation. The recipient had an excellent outcome postoperatively, demonstrating the potential for this new organ preservation system to expand the donor pool and improve access and use of heart transplantation.