Patent ID: 8647605

Claim:
A method of intra-operatively determining the patency of a transplanted organ or a vessel which is surgically joined to the transplanted organ in a recipient subject, comprising: administering a fluorescent dye to a recipient subject prior to an organ transplant procedure, wherein the fluorescent dye is a tricarbocyanine dye; obtaining a fluorescent image of an organ or a vessel attached to the organ in the recipient subject prior to the organ transplant procedure; administering a fluorescent dye to the recipient subject after the organ transplant procedure, wherein the fluorescent dye is a tricarbocyanine dye; applying a sufficient amount of energy to a transplanted organ or the vessel surgically joined to the transplanted organ such that the fluorescent dye fluoresces; obtaining a fluorescent image of the transplanted organ or a vessel surgically joined to the transplanted organ; calculating on a processor a pixel intensity of the fluorescent image of the organ or the vessel prior to the transplant procedure and a pixel intensity of the fluorescent image of the transplanted organ or the vessel surgically joined to the transplanted organ; calculating on the processor a change in pixel intensity between the fluorescent image of the organ or the vessel prior to the transplant procedure and the fluorescent image of the transplanted organ or the vessel surgically joined to the transplanted organ; and comparing the fluorescent image of the transplanted organ or the vessel surgically joined to the transplanted organ with the fluorescent image of the organ or the vessel prior to the transplant procedure, wherein an increase in pixel intensity from prior to the transplant procedure to after the transplant procedure indicates greater perfusion in at least one of a tissue or fluid flow through the vessel surgically joined to the transplanted organ, and a decrease in pixel intensity from prior to the transplant procedure to after the transplant procedure indicates a decrease in perfusion in at least one of the tissue or fluid flow through the vessel surgically joined to the transplanted organ.