1994 Volume 8 Issue 1 Pages 35-42
Preservation of the lung in cold water is difficult because of its buoyancy. We have devised an entirely new method of preservation of the canine lung. The heart-lung graft was initially flushed to lower the temperature to about 13°C. The graft was then suspended in an adiabatic cage, and the lung was inflated by high frequency jet ventilation with normothermic room air. Cooling of the graft was then induced by cold environmental air from outside of the graft. Preservation was performed for six hours at a graft temperature of 6°C. The preserved left lung was transplanted orthotopically. No immunosuppressant was given after transplantation. The function of the transplanted graft was evaluated twice, immediately after transplantation and on the third postoperative day, with inflation of a cuff for the native right pulmonary artery occlusion. Four out of seven animals tolerated this examination well. There were no significant pathological findings. The experiment clarified the usefulness of this method of preservation that fulfilled the essential requirements of lung storage for transplantation.
