Novel technique for blood circuit reconstruction in mouse heart transplantation model

PURPOSE: The surgical technique of heterotopic abdominal heart transplantation in mice, a standard model for transplantation immunology research, is very challenging restricting the widespread use of this model. A novel technique for the blood circuit reconstruction in heterotopic abdominal heart transplantation was developed. METHOD: The new method makes use of the suprahepatic inferior vena cava instead of the pulmonary artery of the donor heart for the anastomosis to the infrarenal vena cava of the recipient. FINDINGS: The sutures for the double vessel anastomoses were completed within 20.8+/-1.3 min, which was significantly shorter than 27.5+/-1.3 min in the traditional method. Similarly, the heart rebeating time postoperation (1.1+/-0.2 min) was significantly shortened as compared to 2.1+/-0.4 min using the traditional method. CONCLUSION: This novel technique facilitated abdominal heart transplantation in mice with reduced warm ischemia and grafted heart rebeating time.