The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jul 2022
Twenty-four-hour normothermic perfusion of isolated ex vivo hearts using plasma exchange.
Cross-circulation of plasma from a paracorporeal animal allows successful ex vivo heart perfusion (EVHP) for 3 days. Little is known about the feasibility of prolonged EVHP without a paracorporeal animal. These experiments evaluated plasma exchange (PX) that infuses fresh plasma, whereas an equal amount is removed to replace paracorporeal cross-circulation. ⋯ These results demonstrate that EVHP can be successfully maintained for at least 24 hours using continuous PX. This eliminates the need for a paracorporeal animal and provides an important step toward clinical application.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jul 2022
Erector spinae muscle radiographic density is associated with survival after lung transplantation.
The study objective was to verify whether low preoperative radiographic density of erector spinae muscles is associated with poor prognosis after lung transplantation. ⋯ Low mean radiographic density of the erector spinae muscles was closely associated with a poor prognosis after lung transplantation. The prognosis was particularly poor in patients with preoperative steroid use and a low mean radiographic density of the erector spinae muscles. These results may be useful when considering the indications for lung transplantation or preoperative interventions. VIDEO ABSTRACT.