An effective rehydrating formula for reconditioning dried, irreplaceable heart specimens for teaching.

Formalin-fixed whole heart specimens are essential for studying the anatomy of congenital heart defects. Because of the improvement in diagnostic imaging and treatment, and cultural transition, heart specimens with congenital heart defects have become more and more rare and irreplaceable, but are at risk of accidental deterioration through dehydration during long-term storage. In this article, we share our experience in reconditioning our inadvertently dehydrated heart specimens using a simple Formol-Glycerol solution that allowed for rehydration and recovery of such specimens.