The role of leukocyte depletion in ex vivo evaluation of pulmonary grafts from (non-)heart-beating donors.

If lungs could be retrieved for transplantation after circulatory arrest, the shortage of donors might be significantly alleviated. An important issue in using lungs from these so-called non-heart-beating donors is the development of a technique to assess their quality prior to transplantation without jeopardizing the life of the recipient. In our laboratory we tested the reliability of an ex vivo model for such an evaluation. We used pig lungs from optimal control animals, in casu heart-beating donors. This model enabled us to preserve and evaluate lungs with perfect function up to 24 hours after death. The intermediate assessment is performed in an isolated circuit where the lungs are being ventilated and reperfused via the pulmonary artery (PA) with autologous and haemodiluted blood. Haemodynamic, aerodynamic and oxygenation parameters are measured at 37.5 degrees C and a maximum PA pressure of 20 mmHg. These data were correlated with premortem values. During this ex vivo evaluation, leukocyte depletion plays an important role since neutrophils have been recognized as critical components in the inflammatory cascade, which is responsible for graft dysfunction soon and long after transplantation.