Unrepairable congenital heart valve disease is an unsolved problem in pediatric cardiac surgery because there are no growing heart valve implants. Partial heart transplantation is a new type of transplant that aims to solve this problem. In order to study the unique transplant biology of partial heart transplantation, animal models are necessary. This study aimed to assess the morbidity and mortality of heterotopic partial heart transplantation in rodent models. This study assessed two models. The first model involved transplanting heart valves from donor animals into the abdominal aortic position in the recipient animals. The second model involved transplanting heart valve leaflets into the renal subcapsular position of the recipient animals. A total of 33 animals underwent heterotopic partial heart transplantation in the abdominal aortic position. The results of this model found a 60.61% (n = 20/33) intraoperative mortality rate and a 39.39% (n = 13/33) perioperative mortality rate. Intraoperative mortality was due to vascular complications from the procedure, and perioperative mortality was due to graft thrombosis. A total of 33 animals underwent heterotopic partial heart transplantation in the renal subcapsular position. The results of this model found a 3.03% (n = 1/33) intraoperative mortality rate, and the remaining 96.97% survived (n = 32/33). We conclude that the renal subcapsular model has a lower mortality rate and is technically more accessible than the abdominal aortic model. While the heterotopic transplantation of valves into the abdominal aortic position had significant morbidity and mortality in the rodent model, the renal subcapsular model provided evidence for successful heterotopic transplantation.
Keywords: animal model; congenital cardiac surgery; partial heart transplantation; pediatric cardiac surgery; rodent; valve dysfunction.