Tech & Innovation in Healthcare

Question: When I was in residency, I remember seeing organ donations come into the hospital in a portable cooler filled with ice. We knew time was a factor, so the surgeons acted quickly.

Have advances been made to help preserve organs longer during transplants?

Oklahoma Subscriber

Answer: Donated organs packed in a portable cooler with ice or cold packs may seem like a thing of the past, and luckily medical advances in recent years have made it possible to safely transport donated organs over long distances.

One example is the Paragonix LUNGguard. The advanced organ preservation device is designed specifically for transporting donated lungs. The preservation device features SherpaCool phase-change technology to help ensure ideal temperature conditions to prevent harm to the lung’s vulnerable endothelium tissue.

Another example is the TransMedics OCS Lung, which is ideal for longer trips. This system keeps lungs warm, oxygenated, and circulates blood throughout the organ during travel. The portable ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) device circulates blood through the lungs for up to 20 hours, which allows the organs to be transported more than 1,500 miles away safely.