Interatrial sulcus opening during multiple grafts harvesting for heart and lung transplantation: anatomical study.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of the interatrial sulcus opening regarding of left atrium gain when harvesting heart and lungs for transplantation. METHODS It was evaluated the left atrium dimension, from the right mediastinal side, after the interatrial sulcus dissection in fifty human cadaver. The interatrial sulcus gain was related with gender, age and ethnic group. RESULTS The gain observed through right interatrial opening was, in media, 1.31 cm (0.3 cm to 2.5 cm). When that value was related to the variable gender it was observed that in the 27 (54%) cases of the male the earnings was 1.19 cm +/- 0.6 cm and, in the 23 (46%) female, 1.21 cm +/- 0.5 cm (p = 0.895). In relation to age, it was observed that, in the 24 (48%) cases with smaller age than 50 years, the value was 1.08 cm +0.6 cm and, in the 26 (52%) with larger age or same to 50 years, 1.36 cm +/- 0.6 cm (p = 0.088). In relation to ethnic group, it was observed that the value of the earnings in the 31 (62%) cases of whites it was 1.34 cm +/- 0.5 cm and, in the 19 (38%) non white, 1.27 cm +/- 0.4 cm (p = 0.589). CONCLUSION Heart grafts and lung grafts must be harvested maintaining adequate segments of left atrium near the heart and the pulmonary veins of the lungs that will be transplanted. Although there is no correlation between the observed gain in the interatrial sulcus dissection and the variables gender, age and ethnic group, our results confirm that the interatrial sulcus opening can give access to significant extension of left atrium wall when separating heart and lungs.