First Experience For Cold Storage Of Donor Hearts With Paragonix SherpaPak
1Cardiac Surgery, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria, 2Internal Medicine, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria, 3Intensive Care Unit, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Meeting: 2019 American Transplant Congress
Abstract number: B109
Keywords: Heart, Preservation
Session Information
Session Name: Poster Session B: Heart and VADs: All Topics
Session Type: Poster Session
Date: Sunday, June 2, 2019
Session Time: 6:00pm-7:00pm
Presentation Time: 6:00pm-7:00pm
Location: Hall C & D
*Purpose: Preservation of donor organs is a crucial component for the maintenance of viability after explantation. The current standard for transporting a donor organ includes the storage in preservation solution within sequential plastic bags that are placed on ice. A potential issue associated with this method of storage is a too low temperature leading to tissue injury. Former studies could show that the perfect temperature to avoid graft injury is between 4° and 8°C. Therefore, Paragonix Technologies has developed a medical device keeping the temperature stable between this range.
*Methods: We present our first case using the Paragonix SherpaPakTM device. The recipient patient was a 69-year old male sufering from ischemic cardiomyopathy and heart failure. A 31-year old male donor could be identified. Organ procurement was performed in the standard fashion. Afterwards, the organ was inspected and prepared for the transportation. The Paragonix SherpaPak™ Heart Connector was attached to the aorta using an umbilical tape. The heart was then anchored to the organ canister which was previously filled with cold preservation solution and inserted into a second rigid sterile outer canister. The final assembly was then placed into the Paragonix SherpaPak™ Shipper, which had been preconditioned with the Paragonix SherpaCool™ material. Continuous temperature monitoring and recording was initiated via an integrated thermocouple probe.
*Results: The total time of storage in the SherpaPakTM was 90 minutes, total ischemic time was 160 minutes, respectively. The system could provide a mean temperature of 6.52°C (min. 5.85°C – max. 6.74°C). The heart implantation was uneventful, and graft function was excellent. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and could be discharged on the 23rd postoperative day.
*Conclusions: The Paragonix SherpaPakTM device was applied safely and easily. Temperature maintained consistently between 5°C and 7°C preventing the donor organ from cold injury.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Stastny L, Kofler M, Höfer D, Pölzl G, Breitkopf R, Grimm M, Antretter H, Dumfarth J. First Experience For Cold Storage Of Donor Hearts With Paragonix SherpaPak [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2019; 19 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/first-experience-for-cold-storage-of-donor-hearts-with-paragonix-sherpapak/. Accessed May 8, 2025.« Back to 2019 American Transplant Congress