Bronchial artery revascularization restores peribronchial tissue oxygenation after lung transplantation.

With the interruption of the bronchial arteries after lung transplantation, nutritive support is dependent on collateral flow by the pulmonary arteries with desaturated venous blood. Consequently, oxygen deficiency of the peribronchial and dependent lung tissue may occur. Using a canine model for left lung transplantation, we investigated hypoxic peribronchial tissue after conventional lung transplantation and demonstrated restitution of tissue oxygenation after transplantation with bronchial artery revascularization (BAR) (BAR group: Po2 120.4 +/- 28.7 mm Hg; control group Po2 6.8 +/- 2.8; p < 0.001). BAR in lung transplantation protects peribronchial tissue of the transplanted graft from hypoxia in the early phase after reperfusion.