Vascular function in the cadaver up to six hours after cardiac arrest

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate how well vascular function is retained in a cadaver kept in a room with a temperature of 21 degrees C . Methods: The aorta and pulmonary artery of rats were investigated in organ baths as fresh controls and after 1, 2, 3,or 6 hours' storage in the cadave r. Six-hour-old cadaver aortas were transplanted and investigated after 24 hours and 60 days. Results: After 3 hours' storage there was no significant. decrease in smoot h muscle contractile function in either aorta or pulmonary artery. After 6 hours' storage both the aorta and the pulmonary artery demonstrated a signi ficant decrease in smooth muscle contractile function, 30% (p < 0.05) and 4 4% (p < 0.001), respectively, compared to fresh controls. Storing the aorta for 2 hours and the pulmonary artery for 6 hours caused no significant dec rease in endothelium-dependent relaxing function. In aorta segments investi gated after 3 and 6 hours there was a significant decrease in endothelium-d ependent relaxation, 12% (p < 0.05) and 29% (p < 0.001), respectively. Six- hour-old cadaver aortas transplanted and investigated after 24 hours or 60 days demonstrated no significant changes in endothelium-dependent relaxatio n and smooth muscle function compared to fresh controls. Conclusion: The pulmonary artery can tolerate 3 hours of warm ischemia in t he non-heart-beating cadaver without loss of endothelium-dependent relaxati on and smooth muscle function. The dysfunction seen in 6-hour-old cadaver a ortas: was normalized after transplantation and 24 hours of reperfusion.