First clinical experience with the novel cold storage SherpaPakTM system for donor heart transportation
Dejan Radaković, Seymur Karimli, Kiril Penov, Ina Schade, K. Hamouda, C. Bening, Rainer Leyh, Ivan Aleksić
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The current gold standard for donor heart preservation is a three-bag-technique and storage in a cooler filled with slush ice. This technique can cause freezing injury with protein denaturation. We report our early experience with a single-use disposable device (SherpaPak™, Paragonix Technologies, MA, USA) specifically designed for sterile permanent temperature-controlled transportation of donor hearts. METHODS: SherpaPak™). The outcome after donor heart storage in the SherpaPak™ was compared with donor heart transportation with the standard technique. RESULTS: 14.52±2.61 mm, P=0.020). We identified no positive blood cultures in the SherpaPak™ group within the first 30 days after heart transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: The SherpaPak™ provides a constant temperature during transportation with permanent monitoring, never dropping below 4 °C. Organs transported with this novel device showed a normal perioperative function.