Hypothermia (0deg to 4deg C) is a critical component of successful organ cold storage because:

Hypothermia in simple organ cold storage serves one primary function but secondary ones as well. The primary function is to slow metabolism. Metabolic rates decrease about twofold for every 10 degree C drop in temperature. Cooling an organ from 37deg to 0deg to 4deg C drops metabolism about 12- to 13-fold. This is related to the activation energy of enzymatic processes as expressed by Arrhenius and van't Hoff. Thus, catabolism of structural and functional cellular element is retarded for a long period--up to 3 days for some organs. The cold also suppresses microbial growth, but this can be accomplished by other means as well. The cold also allows time for the transplantation operation, and during this time it is impoant to be quick or to keep cooling the organ.