Heart transplant advances: Ex vivo organ-preservation systems

Feature Editor Note—In the accompanying article, the team from Duke presents the underlying concepts and early data surrounding the implementation of ex vivo organ preservation in heart transplantation. Cold storage is currently the standard practice in donor-heart preservation, yet with this approach, prolonged ischemic times lead to greater rates of primary graft dysfunction. The goal of ex vivo heart preservation is to minimize ischemic damage during storage, facilitate longer periods of storage, and allow opportunity for detailed evaluation of marginal donor hearts prior to transplantation.