In this video, we describe a step-by-step protocol to extract the heart from a porcine model for cardiac transplantation.
Protocol
All procedures involving animal models have been reviewed by the local institutional animal care committee and the JoVE veterinary review board. 1. Blood Collection and Heart Procurement Evaluate the anesthesia level every minimum of 5 min to confirm the surgical plane (no pedal reflex and no blink reflex, no response to painful stimuli). Perform a median sternotomy. Identify jugulum and xiphoid as landmarks. Using electrocautery, d…