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The donor heart is harvested with cardioplegic arrest and transported at 4 degrees
Celcius. It is prepared by transecting the aorta and the pulmonary artery. The
superior vena cava is ligated and the right and left atria are opened.
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The recipeint is cannulated in the routine bicaval fashion.
The native aorta and pulmonary arteries are transected and the heart is excised at the
atrioventricular groove.
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Implantation begins with the left atrial anastamoses,
which is performed with a single running stitch.
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The right atrium is anastamosed next, using another running stitch.
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The pulmonary artery anastomosis is performed.
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The aortic anastamosis is completed last. After de-airing the heart, the clamp is removed.
The heart begins to beat spontaneously.
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