The susceptibility of lung tissue to ischemia-reperfusion injury has made distant procurement of heart-lung allografts difficult. The effects of hypothermia, ventilation without perfusion, and various reperfusion solutions (PSS/Ficoll or whole blood) on the development of ischemia-reperfusion lung injury were investigated. Use of an ex vivo rat lung model in which the above variables were individually varied permitted a direct approach for these studies. Normothermic ischemia for 1 hour caused significant damage, documented by increased iodine 125 bovine serum albumin (125I-BSA) in alveolar lavage fluid and lung parenchyma compared with nonischemic controls. Hypothermic (4 degrees C) ischemia for 4 hours in lungs reperfused with salt solution and for as many as 12 hours in lungs reperfused with whole blood caused no significant increase in 125I-BSA in alveolar lavage fluid and lung parenchyma compared with nonischemic controls. Lungs ventilated without perfusion showed no increase in 125I-BSA leakage compared with controls. The ex vivo rat lung model is excellent for studying ischemia-reperfusion injury. It is reproducible, allows for variance of reperfusion solutions, and permits change in temperature and ventilation easily.