The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Jul 1992
Distinguishing between infection, rejection, and the adult respiratory distress syndrome after human lung transplantation.
The adult respiratory distress syndrome, bacterial pneumonia, cytomegalovirus pneumonitis, acute rejection, or a combination thereof were the primary causes of radiographic infiltrates or gas exchange abnormalities that occurred early after lung transplantation. The time of occurrence after transplantation, standard measures of clinical assessment as for nontransplant patients (i.e., vital signs, weight, white blood cell count, sputum, and cultures, etc.), bronchoalveolar lavage, and transbronchial lung biopsy were the primary tools used to analyze these situations. ⋯ Transbronchial lung biopsy was necessary to detect acute rejection and cytomegalovirus pneumonitis. Thus the cause of an early radiographic infiltrate or impairment of gas exchange was almost always reliably determined by using standard tools of clinical assessment, knowledge of the usual temporal sequence of the complications, and judicious use of bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial lung biopsy.
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Jul 1992
Comparative StudyLong-term hypothermic storage of the mammalian heart for transplantation: a comparison of three cardioplegic solutions.
We have compared the protective properties of three cardioplegic solutions (St. Thomas' Hospital, University of Wisconsin, and Bretschneider) for the long-term hypothermic preservation of the rat heart. Hearts (n = 8 per group) were excised and arrested by an infusion (10 ml at 4 degrees C) of cardioplegic solution. ⋯ Creatine phosphate content recovered completely in all groups. We conclude that all three solutions afford similar protection to the hypothermically stored rat heart, but that the St. Thomas' Hospital and University of Wisconsin solutions are marginally superior to the Bretschneider solution.
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Jul 1992
Case ReportsSuccessful heart transplantation with cardiac allografts exposed to carbon monoxide poisoning.
The procurement of cardiac allografts from brain-dead donors who have suffered acute carbon monoxide poisoning has, in the past, been considered inadvisable. Two patients have recently undergone successful transplantation at our institution with cardiac allografts from donors who had suffered acute carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide poisoning is not a contraindication to cardiac allograft procurement in the setting of clinical and objective evidence of satisfactory cardiac function.
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Jul 1992
Long-term preservation of the heart: the effect of infusion pressure during continuous hypothermic cardioplegia.
Continuous hypothermic low-flow infusion of cardioplegic or other preservation solutions has been advocated for extending the maximum duration of storage of donor hearts for transplantation. We report the effect of varying the pressure during continuous infusion of St. Thomas' Hospital cardioplegic solution on functional recovery after long-term storage. ⋯ In hearts that had been subjected to continuous infusion at 6, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 60 cm H2O, the recoveries of aortic flow were 0% (p less than 0.05), 38.6% +/- 5.1% (p less than 0.05), 36.2% +/- 3.6% (p less than 0.05), 14.0% +/- 8.0%, 5.8% +/- 2.9%, and 9.9% +/- 4.7%, respectively, and the postischemic leakage of creatine kinase was 98.7 +/- 19.5 (p less than 0.05), 26.2 +/- 4.2, 15.5 +/- 3.4, 30.4 +/- 11.1, 109.8 +/- 21.8 (p less than 0.05), and 136.0 +/- 14.1 (p less than 0.05) IU/30 min/gm dry weight, respectively. In contrast, in noninfused control hearts the recovery of aortic flow was 11.1% +/- 7.5%, and creatine kinase leakage was 58.9 +/- 8.7 IU/30 min/gm dry weight. In conclusion, maximum myocardial preservation was obtained with continuous low-flow hypothermic cardioplegic infusion at pressures between 10 and 20 cm H2O.