Successful acute heart-lung transplantation after six hours preservation.

The lack of an appropriate and effective technique for prolonged heart-lung preservation has been one of the factors limiting the use of this therapeutic modality. Presently, the donor is transported to the transplant center, which is often an unacceptable burden to the donor's family. A reliable preservation technique that would allow long-distance procurement would markedly increase the use of heart-lung transplantation. Using a dog, a successful heart-lung transplantation was achieved following six hours of preservation of the graft. The experiment was terminated when the animal was able to maintain normal blood gases following extubation.