Celsior: A Guide to Heart Preservation by Genzyme

Celsior is a heart preservative made by the Genzyme Corp. that keeps a heart from deteriorating in cold storage before an operation can be carried out. A flushing with the solution, which is refrigerated until use at 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit, will ready a heart for a new user in the coming days or even weeks. Injected by a medical professional soon after a patient dies -- either in the body or after removal -- Celsior is intended for adult transplantation cases only.

Things You'll Need

• Cystoscopy administration set with tubing
• Pressure cuff
• Medication bag stand

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Instructions

• 1

  Remove the Celsior bag from cold storage. Discard its aluminum covering and attached oxygen absorber.

• 2

  Inspect the bag with the label facing you, all three exit ports extending fully from the bottom. Also inspect the infusion line to the heart, ensuring it's fully clamped.

• 3

  Remove the cap from the far-left port, and insert the spike from your cystoscopy set by twisting it into the port.

• 4

  Insert the Celsior bag into a pressure cuff and tighten it down on the bag. Hang the bag from a stand and inspect for a steady flow.

• 5

  Unclamp the patient heart's infusion tubing and continue flushing the heart until, according to Genzyme, it's "uniformly pale and the effluent is relatively clear."