Advantages of inferior vena caval flow preservation in combined transplantation of the liver and heart.

Only a few cases of combined liver and heart transplantation have been reported in the literature, and no standard surgical procedure has yet been established. We report the successful transplantation of both liver and heart in a 28-year-old patient suffering from homozygous beta-thalassemia. We used Belghiti's technique of inferior vena caval flow preservation for liver transplantation, which avoids inferior vena cava occlusion by a side-to-side caval anastomosis. Applied to combined liver and heart transplantation, preservation of caval flow during liver transplantation may allow early discontinuation of cardiopulmonary bypass and, thus, minimize the general consequences of prolonged bypass.