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Updated: May 30, 2025
Rat Model of Normothermic Ex-Situ Perfused Heterotopic Heart Transplantation
Published on: April 21, 2023
A Comparative Study Between Cold Static Storage and Normothermic Ex-Situ Donor Heart Preservation in a Rat Model of
Mukhammad Kayumov1, Kyo Seon Lee2, Dowan Kim2
1Department of Medical Science, Chonnam National University Graduate School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea; Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Chonnam National University Hospital and Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea; Extracorporeal Circulation Research Team, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Republic of Korea; Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Introduction:
Cold static storage (CSS) and normothermic ex-situ preservation are the most widely used donor heart preservation techniques worldwide. The current study compares both CSS and normothermic ex-situ preservation methods in terms of graft performance, morphologic changes, and acute immune response in an experimental model.
Method And Materials:
Twenty rats underwent heterotopic abdominal heart transplantation after 2 h of CSS (group 1; n = 10) or normothermic ex-situ perfusion (group 2; n = 10). Blood samples were obtained from recipients just before and after 4 h of transplantation to analyze surface markers of immune cells and cytokines. Electrocardiography and echocardiography were performed before donor heart harvesting and after heterotopic transplantation. After 4 h of transplantation, donor hearts were extracted for further histologic studies.
Results:
All recipient animals in both groups successfully survived after heterotopic transplantation. The mean ischemic time of the donor heart was 163 ± 8.34 mins in group 1 and 43.8 ± 6.97 mins in group 2 (P < 0.01). Ejection fraction significantly decreased after transplantation in both groups but were less significant in group 2 (the mean difference group 1: -34.3 ± 3.54, P < 0.01; group 2: -14.3 ± 15.47, P = 0.01). The percentage of granulocyte significantly increased in both group 1 and group 2, but the significance was more pronounced in group 1 (the mean difference group 1: 48.7 ± 5.36, P < 0.01; group 2: 39.7 ± 13.1, P < 0.01).
Conclusions:
Normothermic ex-situ perfusion is associated with well-preserved donor hearts but a similar recipient acute immune response in comparison with CSS in the rat model.
