[Techniques, tactics and organizational aspects of distant procurement of donor hearts for transplantation. Experience at the Department of Cardiovascular and Transplantation Surgery of IKEM with 100 distant procurement of donor hearts].

Transplantation of the heart is currently an accepted therapeutic method. One of the factors which have an adverse effect on its availability is shortage of suitable donors. Distant procurement of hearts helps to extend the number of organs for transplantations. The authors present their experience with distant procurement of donor hearts performed during more than three years. They evaluate the influence of cold ischaemia time of the cardiac graft on early results of cardiac transplantations. In the discussion they try to draw attention to some problems associated with this technique for other organ retrieval teams participating in multiple organ procurement.