The technique of heterotopic heart-lung transplantation in the rat

Summary A simple technique of heterotopic heart-lung transplantation in the rat has been established. The preparation of donor heart-lung and surgical procedures used on the recipient are those originally described by Lee, with minor modifications. The donor’s ascending aorta is anastomosed to the recipient’s abdominal aorta and all the other vessels are permanently ligated. Except the right inferior lobe of the lung which is left attached to the heart all the rest of the pulmonary lobes is removed. The direction of blood flow through the transplanted heart and lung is as follows: aorta, coronary arteries, coronary sinus, pulmonary lobe, left atrium and left ventricle and then to the aorta (with blood exiting from donor aorta to host aorta during contraction of the donor heart). In inbred Wistar rats, the one month survival rate was 90 %. The model is used for experimental selection of immunosuppressive drugs to prolong the survival time of allografts in the rat.