Royal Papworth Hospital
A new machine which keeps lungs alive outside of the body could “transform” the number of people receiving transplants, surgeons hope.
The breakthrough has come at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire after it became the first in the UK to pilot the use of the XPS system.
The machine, nicknamed “lungs in a box”, mimics the human body and surgeon Marius Berman said it could increase the number of transplants by 30%.
Daniel Evans-Smith, a 49-year-old event manager from Northampton, was the first to receive a double lung transplant using the system on the NHS and said he was “immensely grateful”.
Royal Papworth Hospital
Some 81% of lungs are rejected for transplantation because they are inflamed or in poor condition.
The machine improves the health of the organs, by using a ventilator to inflate and deflate the lungs. A liquid containing nutrients and oxygen is also pumped through them.
The technique is called ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP). It means donated lungs which are considered “borderline” for use can be reconditioned and used, instead of being discarded.
The organs are kept at body temperature, for up to six hours.
The one-year pilot has been funded by NHS England and the Royal Papworth charity.
The machine was only previously used in UK research trials.
Royal Papworth Hospital
Some 81% of lungs are rejected for transplantation because they are inflamed or in poor condition.
The machine improves the health of the organs, by using a ventilator to inflate and deflate the lungs. A liquid containing nutrients and oxygen is also pumped through them.
The technique is called ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP). It means donated lungs which are considered “borderline” for use can be reconditioned and used, instead of being discarded.
The organs are kept at body temperature, for up to six hours.
The one-year pilot has been funded by NHS England and the Royal Papworth charity.
The machine was only previously used in UK research trials.