Heart Procurement from a Donor on Venovenous ECMO Support

ASAIO J. 2016 May-Jun;62(3):e24-6. doi: 10.1097/MAT.0000000000000305.

Abstract

We report the case of a 37-year-old woman with acute respiratory distress syndrome and became a candidate for organ donation after anoxic brain injury and was on a venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) support. On preoperative evaluation and gross examination, the donor's heart was acceptable for heart transplantation to a 62-year-old female patient with a history of nonischemic cardiomyopathy with a HeartMate II mechanical assist device. Orthotopic heart transplantation was successfully performed in the recipient. We report a case that suggests that the procurement of a heart from a donor on ECMO support can potentially expand the donor heart pool in carefully selected patients.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation*
  • Female
  • Heart Transplantation / methods*
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Respiratory Distress Syndrome
  • Tissue Donors* / supply & distribution
  • Tissue and Organ Procurement / methods*