Combined thorax-abdomen extraction in a Maastricht type III donor

Abstract

Donation after circulatory death (Maastricht type III donation) or controlled cardiac death refers to the retrieval of organs for transplantation purposes following death confirmed using circulatory criteria after the withdrawal of life support. The persistent shortfall in organ availability has prompted the development of donation programs following circulatory death for lung transplantation. The combined thorax-abdomen extraction in these cases is carried out in only twelve centres in Spain, while the combined use of abdominal normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) is even more exceptional. The first case of pulmonary and abdominal extraction in a Maastricht type III donor in Navarre with this type of preservation techniques is a milestone and the success achieved shows that it is a feasible and safe procedure.