Extended preservation of ischemic pulmonary graft by postmortem alveolar expansion.
BACKGROUND
If lungs could be retrieved for transplantation from non-heart-beating cadavers, the shortage of donors might be significantly alleviated.


METHODS
Peak airway pressure, mean pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, and wet to dry weight ratio were measured during delayed hypothermic crystalloid flush in rabbit lungs (n = 6) at successive intervals after death comparing cadavers with lungs left deflated (group 1), inflated with room air (group 2) or 100% oxygen (group 4), or ventilated with room air (group 3), or 100% nitrogen (group 5), or 100% oxygen (group 6).


RESULTS
There was a gradual increase in mean pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance with longer postmortem intervals in all study groups (p = not significant, group 1 versus group 2 versus group 3). There was also a gradual increase in peak airway pressure and wet-to-dry weight ratio over time in all groups, which reflected edema formation during flush (airway pressure, from 14.5 +/- 1.0 cm H2O to 53.7 +/- 12.2 cm H2O, and wet-to-dry weight ratio, from 3.6 +/- 0.1 to 11.5 +/- 1.2, in group 1 at 0 and 6 hours postmortem, respectively; p < 0.05). Compared with group 1, however, the increase in groups 2 and 3 was much slower (airway pressure, 20.9 +/- 0.5 cm H2O and 18.8 +/- 1.2 cm H2O, and wet-to-dry weight ratio, 5.2 +/- 0.3 and 4.6 +/- 0.4 at 6 hours postmortem, respectively; p < 0.05 versus group 1 and p = not significant, group 2 versus group 3). Airway pressure and wet-to-dry weight ratio did not differ between groups 2 and 4 or between groups 3, 5, and 6.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that (1) pulmonary edema will develop in atelectatic lungs if hypothermic flush is delayed for 2 hours after death, (2) postmortem inflation is as good as ventilation in prolonging warm ischemic tolerance, (3) inflation with oxygen or ventilation with nitrogen or oxygen is no different from that with room air, and (4) therefore, prevention of alveolar collapse appears to be the critical factor in protecting the lung from warm ischemic damage independent of continued oxygen delivery.
Van Raemdonck
D E
DE
Center for Experimental Surgery and Anesthesiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. dirk.vanraemdonck@uz.kuleuven.ac.be
Jannis
N C
NC
Rega
F R
FR
De Leyn
P R
PR
Flameng
W J
WJ
Lerut
T E
TE
D000388:Air; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002102:Cadaver; D015925:Cryopreservation; D000077324:Crystalloid Solutions; D004487:Edema / Q000473:pathology; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D007511:Ischemia; D007552:Isotonic Solutions; D008168:Lung / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology; D016040:Lung Transplantation / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009926:Organ Preservation; D019188:Organ Preservation Solutions / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009929:Organ Size; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010952:Plasma Substitutes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011312:Pressure; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011651:Pulmonary Artery; D001261:Pulmonary Atelectasis / Q000473:pathology; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation; D011817:Rabbits; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D013997:Time Factors; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement; D014655:Vascular Resistance
D000077324:Crystalloid Solutions; D007552:Isotonic Solutions; D019188:Organ Preservation Solutions; D010952:Plasma Substitutes; D009584:Nitrogen; D010100:Oxygen