Successful cardiac preservation for 12 hours using nondepolarizing cold cardioplegia. A canine model

Abstract Isolated canine hearts were preserved for 12 h at 5 °C followed by normothermic reperfusion for 2 h. Dogs were divided into two groups: group 1 ( n = 7) received a nondepolarizing preservation solution in multidose, and group 2 ( n = 6) received single-flushed University of Wisconsin (UW) solution, both administered in multidose fashion. At the end o reperfusion, the myocardial adenosine triphosphate concentration and left ventricular systolic and diastolic function were preserved better in group 1 than in group 2. Myocardial mitochondrial ultra-tructural integrity was identical in the two groups. These results suggested that in a 124 heart preservation, nondepolarizing solution administered in multidose fashion protects the myocardium from the deleterious effects of hypothermia and cardioplegia better than UW solution.