Successful heart transplantation after prolonged cardiac arrest and extracorporeal life support in organ donor–a case report

Abstract

BackgroundAlthough heart transplantation is a successful therapy for patients suffering from end-stage heart failure, the therapeutic is limited by the lack of organs. Donor cardiac arrest is a classic hindrance to heart retrieval as it raises issues on post-transplant outcomes.Case presentationThe present case reports a successful heart transplantation after prolonged donor cardiac arrest (total lowflow time of 95 minutes) due to anaphylactic shock necessitating extracorporeal life support. We further provide an overview of the current evidence and outcomes of heart transplantation in cases of donor cardiac arrest.ConclusionProviding that donor and recipient criteria are respected, donor cardiac arrest does not seem to be an adverse predictor in heart transplantation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13019-015-0393-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Can a Heart Recently Recovered from an Acute Pulmonary Embolism Supported by Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation be Considered for Donation?

“…2,3 Even if the cause of the cardiac arrest was different, we have described a similar case 6 years ago. 4 The important concept remains that after a refractory cardiac arrest, ECMO can be used until the resumption of a correct heart function, and later if the presence of brain death is noted, the process can be activated for harvesting the heart.…”

Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: an overview of different cannulation techniques

“…Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) has known a widespread application over the last decade and is now an effective and valuable therapeutic option in refractory cardiogenic shock of various etiologies (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). Owing to the recent European Society of Cardiology guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure, short-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS) may be considered in refractory cardiogenic shock depending on patient age, comorbidities and neurological function (7).…”