The heart that took the scenic route: Europe's record-breaking 9-hours OCS journey

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Transplantation Medicine
• Medical Devices

Background:

• End-stage heart failure necessitates timely organ transplantation.
• Donor organ preservation time is a critical factor in transplantation success.
• Extended organ transport poses significant challenges to transplant logistics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the longest documented heart perfusion in Europe using the Transmedics Organ Care System (OCS).
• To evaluate the efficacy of the OCS in maintaining donor heart viability during prolonged transport.
• To demonstrate the potential of extended organ preservation to improve transplant accessibility and outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Transmedics Organ Care System (OCS) for donor heart perfusion.
• Documented perfusion time and total out-of-body time for a heart transplant case.
• Monitored hemodynamic parameters and graft function post-transplantation.

Main Results:

• Achieved Europe's longest documented heart perfusion time of 536 minutes (8 hours 55 minutes) using OCS.
• Total out-of-body time was 676 minutes (11 hours 16 minutes) due to extended ground transport.
• Donor heart demonstrated immediate post-transplant function without requiring mechanical support, despite initial vasospasm.

Conclusions:

• The Transmedics Organ Care System (OCS) can successfully extend donor heart preservation times beyond conventional limits.
• Extended organ preservation facilitated by OCS can increase the availability of viable donor organs.
• This technology has the potential to optimize heart transplantation outcomes by overcoming logistical challenges.