Carbon monoxide may reduce ischemia reperfusion injury: a case report of complicated kidney transplantation from a carbon monoxide poisoned donor.

Carbon monoxide (CO), well known from clinical observation to be a deadly poisoning gas, in many animal experiments has revealed a beneficial effect to diminish ischemia/reperfusion injury and rejection of transplanted organs. Data on clinical transplantation of organs retrieved from poisoned persons are limited and discordant; some authors were reported good results, whereas others described high complication rates including death. We herein have described a case of organ transplantation retrieved from a CO-poisoned donor. Warm ischemia during the transplantation procedure was prolonged to 100 minutes, but no complications were observed in the posttransplant course. This report may represent CO preconditioning in clinical transplantation.