Successful retrieval and function of lungs from non-heart-beating donors

Background. Lung transplantation has been used effectively as a therapeutic tool in end-stage pulmonary diseases, but organ shortages have restricted its use. There is growing interest in alternative organ sources such as org ans from circulation-arrested cadavers, so called non-heart-beating donors. Methods. We examined the effects of postmortem rapid in situ cadaver lung c ooling by bilateral chest cavity flushing (group 2) and by pulmonary artery flush through right heart catheterization followed by pleural cavity flush ing (group 3) on pulmonary function and morphology in a rabbit non-heart-be ating donor model. The results were compared with those in a control group of heart-beating donors (group 1). Results. At the end of a 2-hour reperfusion period, there were no significa nt differences in mean pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary vascular resist ance, pulmonary compliance, arteriovenous oxygen, pulmonary wet to dry weig ht ratio, and lung morphology between the three groups. Conclusions. Our study demonstrates that using bilateral chest cavity flush ing with or without pulmonary flush protects the function and morphology of cadaver lungs and renders them suitable for lung transplantation. (C) 2001 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.