Ex vivo coronary angiography using hearts from older donors

Objective. To develop safe ex vivo coronary angiography approach immediately before heart implantation. Material and methods. A reservoir-container was developed to place a heart in anatomical position for subsequent coronary angiography. 3D STL drawing was prepared with subsequent 3D printing. The next stage was analysis of laboratory animals with development of novel selective coronary angiography method and series of standard high-quality angiograms. A total of 6 experiments were carried out. Coronary angiography was performed using a General Electric OEC 9900 Elice C-arm. Results. We developed a non-contrast reservoir-container for donor heart positioning and standard angiography. Ex vivo coronary angiography using pig hearts visualized all coronary arteries in standard projections. Conclusion. Considering older age of donors and features of organ donation system in our country, donor heart coronary status assessment is beyond doubt. We experimentally confirmed safety of ex vivo coronary angiography of a donor heart. A clinical trial and implementation are planned in the future.