Objective: We report the successful transplantation of a heart following an out-of-body time of 611 minutes into a recipient with dilated cardiomyopathy and left ventricular assist device implant.
Patients: Our patient was urgently waiting for a cardiac transplant whilst receiving LVAD support. Recurrent VF and repeated AICD shocks necessitated this action.
Results: Although requiring ECMO and inotropic support in the first 17 hours post-transplant, the patient was discharged from hospital on day 15 post-transplant with normal cardiac function.
Conclusion: We report some of the salient points of the process and discuss the utility of this technology to an Australian transplant unit.
Keywords: Cardiomyopathy; ECMO; Heart failure; Heart transplantation; Organ preservation; Transplantation.
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