SELECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CARDIAC ALLOGRAFT DONORS

The selection of suitable donor hearts is essential for successful rec ipient outcome. Early allograft failure accounts for approximately 25% of deaths in heart transplantation recipients. The pool of donor orga ns that become available is inadequate to meet the ever increasing dem and. Almost 30% of patients awaiting cardiac transplantation die befor e a suitable donor heart becomes available. The development of strateg ies aimed at expanding the donor pool are critically needed. To accomp lish this goal it is important to improve donor management, prevent ti ssue injury following brain death, and attempt to correct donor organ dysfunction.