Matthias Peltz1, Michael L. Cobert1, Matthew E. Merritt2, LaShondra M. West1, Michael Erik Jessen1
1Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA; 2Advanced Imaging Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
Perfusion preservation of hearts appears promising for extending the ischemic tolerance of myocardium. Predicting adequacy of myocardial preservation during storage is an important factor when hearts are stored for long intervals. We demonstrated in a human heart perfusion preservation model that proton high resolution MRS and magic angle spinning MRS could determine the metabolic state of preserved myocardium after 12 hour storage. These data suggest MRS may be a useful technique for evaluating donor hearts prior to transplantation.