Pericardial Closure Using Donor Pericardium in Deceased-Donor Lung Transplantation

Area of Science:

• Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Transplantation Medicine
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Pericardial closure techniques in lung transplantation lack a definitive standard.
• Optimizing procedural efficiency and patient outcomes is crucial in lung transplantation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and simplicity of using donor pericardium for pericardial closure.
• To compare donor pericardium closure with autologous tissue closure in lung transplantation.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 70 adult bilateral lung transplantations (December 2010 - January 2024).
• Comparison between Donor pericardium group (n=21) and Autologous tissue group (n=49).
• Evaluation of pericardial closure time and 1-year postoperative complications.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in baseline patient characteristics between groups.
• Mean pericardial closure time was significantly shorter in the Donor pericardium group (13 ± 2.4 min) versus the Autologous tissue group (19 ± 1.6 min; P = 0.03).
• No clinically significant differences in short- to mid-term postoperative complications were observed.

Conclusions:

• Donor pericardium facilitates technically simpler and faster pericardial closure during lung transplantation.
• This technique appears safe in the short- to mid-term, offering a viable alternative.
• Further research may explore long-term outcomes and broader adoption.