Improved cuff technique for cervical heart transplantation in mice.

To simplify the surgical procedure and increase the postoperative survival rate, an improved cuff technique was developed for cervical heart transplantation in mice. Forty cervical heart transplants have been performed in mice with a success rate of 92.5%. The total operative time was within 60 min, and the cold ischemic time for the graft hearts was minimized to less than 30 min. The improved cervical heart transplantation in mice by modified cuff technique is a practical and reliable animal model and can be done by surgeons with a little microsurgery experience. Copyright (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 2007.