Beating Heart Transplantation After Normothermic Machine Perfusion

In a single-institution series of 43 beating-heart transplants performed after normothermic machine perfusion, predominantly using donation after circulatory death (DCD) grafts, Duke University Hospital, Durham, North Carolina, USA, investigators observed a 16.3 percent rate of severe primary graft dysfunction (PGD). Contrary to earlier case series suggesting a reduction, this rate was higher than the center’s historical baseline, with elevated root pressure and PaO2 significantly associated with PGD development. Consequently, the team halted routine use of this technique, despite achieving 100 percent 30-day survival.