A re-perfused non-beating heart can provide similar long-term donation success when compared to the conventional heart beating donor, according to a journal article by 91快播 student John Louca (Medicine 2017).
Most heart transplants are carried out from brain dead, heart-beating donors where the brain is no longer working, but the donor鈥檚 heart is still beating and is still getting oxygen.
In 2014 the use of non-heart beating donors was reintroduced by an Australian team. The only other previous case in adults was performed in 1967. It had been thought it would not work, but subsequent data has shown there seems to be no difference in the success rate.
Now a team at Papworth, including clinical medic John, in his sixth year at Caius, re-perfused a heart 鈥 restored blood flow to a non-beating heart by setting up circulation 鈥 and the study has been repeated at centres in the United States, Spain and Belgium. The team鈥檚 findings have been published in eClinical Medicine, part of the Lancet Publishing Group: .
鈥淚t鈥檚 looking like it could be similar to conventional transplantation, which just 10 years ago people thought was impossible,鈥 says John, an Ackroyd scholar at Caius.
鈥淚t could be quite a big step for heart transplantation. This does work and it鈥檚 effective, and we need to do it more. It could result in more heart transplants, which is a big issue. A lot of patients die on the waiting list for a donor.鈥
In 157 cases in total in the paper, there were 14 post-operative deaths.
John, pictured, says some have expressed ethical concerns over the procedure, but he says it is not going to revive a patient already declared dead. 
鈥淲hen people see how effective is, they鈥檒l have to take a step back,鈥 he says. 鈥淭he patient is legally declared dead and to not use the technique would be to do the donor a disservice and not fulfil their last wishes to the best of our ability. Who has the authority to deny the donor鈥檚 right to give and recipient to receive this gift?
鈥淚t鈥檚 our job to convince everyone that this works, because ultimately it benefits the patients and it is a really solid technique.鈥
John worked under at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge on the study, which has primarily been a data analysis role.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a very valuable experience coordinating with the other centres,鈥 John adds.
He worked with other Caians, Nirav Patel and Rohan Sanghera (both Medicine 2017), on the project.
The research has encouraged John to consider a career as a cardiac surgeon, praising the mentors he has had at Papworth, including Mr Large and Simon Messer, now a consultant in Glasgow.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really good group and I鈥檓 very lucky to have met them and be able to be part of their lab,鈥 John adds.
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