what is it?
Heart-In-A-Box is a technology that is able to keep a donor heart pumping from outside the body. It is a device that is able to maintain the functioning of a heart that is required to be placed in a patient's body.
how does it work?
Heart-In-A-Box, known formally as the Organ Care System (OCS) is a technology developed by TransMedics. The device stimulates the conditions of an actual human body, pumping oxygenated blood into the heart as it would if the organ was within a living person.
how is technology incorporated in it?
The OCS incorporates a system that is capable of keeping a heart 'alive', by continuously pumping oxygenated blood into the organ. In this way, the heart will not cease functioning and is in a better condition for a transplant.
in what ways will it contribute to society?
The Heart-In-A-Box device is able to save lives in various ways. The technology utilised by the device increases the time an organ can be maintained outside a person's body to a minimum of 8 hours. This is a significant improvement in comparison to the original method of keeping a heart 'alive', which was to surround the organ with ice to prevent deterioration, and lasted only 3 to 4 hours maximum. The ability for the heart to last longer means that it can be retrieved from farther away, if necessary, without the risk of quick deterioration.
Moreover, this new device enables surgeons to properly assess the suitability of the heart for transplantation. Prior to the OCS, there was a greater chance for a patient's life to be at risk, due to receiving a donor heart that would not function, as it was a non-beating heart. Now that there is technology to maintain a heart's function during the process, surgeons are able to better assess the suitability of the heart, with minimal error.
As a result of this breakthrough advancement in organ transplant preparation, there have been many patients who have been able to have successful life-saving surgery. With increased availability of this device, it is estimated that the machine will be able to increase the rate of heart and lung transplants by 50%. The OCS has vastly improved the way heart transplants are carried out, which may not have been possible before.
Moreover, this new device enables surgeons to properly assess the suitability of the heart for transplantation. Prior to the OCS, there was a greater chance for a patient's life to be at risk, due to receiving a donor heart that would not function, as it was a non-beating heart. Now that there is technology to maintain a heart's function during the process, surgeons are able to better assess the suitability of the heart, with minimal error.
As a result of this breakthrough advancement in organ transplant preparation, there have been many patients who have been able to have successful life-saving surgery. With increased availability of this device, it is estimated that the machine will be able to increase the rate of heart and lung transplants by 50%. The OCS has vastly improved the way heart transplants are carried out, which may not have been possible before.