Survival of dog kidneys subjected to high pressures: Necrosis of kidneys after freezing

Dog kidneys were perfused to ensure cooling and then subjected to high pressures before being reimplanted into the autologous donor and tested by an immediate contralateral nephrectomy. Such kidneys exposed to pressures as high as 15,000 psi for 5 min regained excellent function quickly and maintained the life of the dog. Lower pressures were tolerated for longer periods of time. All kidneys that were frozen became necrotic after reimplantation. Thus we were unable to demonstrate that high pressures, to facilitate rapid, uniform thawing, were of any value.