Safety and Effectiveness of NRP for DCD Heart Transplantation

This is a prospective, observational, pilot trial to evaluate the feasibility of heart transplantation using normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) donation after donor circulatory death (DCD). Normothermic regional perfusion utilizes Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) or cardiopulmonary bypass to reperfuse the heart and other organs in situ after isolation and ligation of the cerebral vessels. In situ resuscitation of the heart has the added advantage of allowing full hemodynamic and echocardiographic assessment of the donor heart prior to final acceptance for transplantation without the imminent danger of ongoing warm ischemia.