Non-ischaemic Heart Preservation Versus Standard Cold Storage in Human Heart Transplantation

The device is a miniaturized and fully automated heart-lung machine, housed in a portable device (weight 32 kg), that enables transportation between hospitals. The reservoir is filled with 2.5 liters of the perfusion solution plus approximately 500 mL compatible washed and leucocyte-filtered red blood cells from the hospital blood bank. The NIHP system software is adjusted to maintain a mean blood pressure of 20-25 mmHg in the aortic root, giving a coronary flow between 150 mL/min and 250 mL/min.

The device is a cool box that enables transportation between hospitals. The heart is stored on ice slush in the box at a temperature of approximately 4-8 °C.