Measuring physiological shunt fraction during normothermic ex-vivo lung perfusion to assess transplantability of questionable donor lungs

Lung transplantation as a live-saving treatment for selected patients with end-stage lung disease still suffers from a shortage of suitable lung donors [1]. The process of accepting donor lungs is often based on a subjective decision following a short-term macroscopic evaluation of the pulmonary graft by bronchoscopy, palpation, and inspection inside the donors' chest at the time of multi-organ retrieval [2]. P/F ratio defined as partial pressure of oxygen measured in a systemic artery (PaO2 ) / fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2 ) is the historic clinical gold standard to assess gas exchange of donor lungs in vivo as an estimate of post-transplant pulmonary function. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.status: publishe