Ex vivo heart perfusion: an updated systematic review
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Updated: Jun 2, 2026
An Isolated Working Heart System for Large Animal Models
Published on: June 11, 2014
Nicola Pradegan1, Luigi Di Pasquale2, Dario Di Perna3
1Cardiac Surgery Unit, Cardio-thoraco-vascular and Public Health Department, Padova University Hospital, Padua, Italy.
Insights
Ex vivo heart preservation (EVHP) offers a promising alternative to standard cold static storage for donor hearts. This method enhances organ preservation and allows for pre-transplant evaluation, potentially improving heart transplant success rates.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Transplantation Medicine
- Organ Preservation Science
Background:
- Significant gap exists between patients needing heart transplants and available donor organs.
- Current standard cold static storage (CSS) has limitations in preserving donor hearts.
- Need for advanced strategies to optimize donor heart utilization and transplant outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and summarize the current knowledge and experience with ex vivo heart preservation (EVHP).
- To evaluate EVHP as a viable alternative to CSS for donor heart management.
- To highlight the potential benefits of EVHP in improving heart transplant success.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review of studies on ex vivo heart preservation techniques.
- Analysis of existing data comparing EVHP with standard cold static storage (CSS).
- Synthesis of findings regarding organ preservation quality and pre-transplant evaluation capabilities.
Main Results:
- EVHP techniques demonstrate potential for superior donor heart preservation compared to CSS.
- EVHP facilitates pre-transplant assessment of organ viability and function.
- Improved organ quality and extended preservation times are associated with EVHP.
Conclusions:
- Ex vivo heart preservation represents a significant advancement over traditional methods.
- EVHP can expand the donor heart pool and enhance the success of heart transplantation.
- Further research and clinical adoption of EVHP are warranted to address donor organ shortages.
Abstract:
Due to the discrepancy between patients awaiting a heart transplant and the availability of donor hearts, strategies to expand the donor pool and improve the transplant's success are crucial. This review aims to summarize current knowledge on the ex vivo heart preservation (EVHP) experience as an alternative to standard cold static storage (CSS). EVHP techniques can improve the preservation of the donor's heart before transplantation and allow for pre-transplant organ evaluation.
