Traditionally, donor organs are removed and temporarily stored in special environmental conditions before being delivered to the recipient. For example, a heart stored in this manner is disconnected from its blood supply during transport, which carries the risk of tissue damage due to oxygen deprivation. Now, scientists have performed the world's first transplant with zero intermediate steps—the donor heart continued to beat continuously.
"We wanted to perform a heart transplant without the ischemic period so that the heart would not have to stop, and we could also avoid the injuries that usually occur after reperfusion," said surgeon Chi Nai-Hsin.
The operation was made possible thanks to a specially designed organ support system that pumped oxygenated blood into the donor heart throughout the entire process.
Until now, scientists have only succeeded in reducing the ischemic period—from 10 to 30 minutes. This is the first time the zero intermediate stage has been achieved.
A unique operation was performed on a 49-year-old patient with cardiomyopathy. Several months have passed since the transplant, and doctors are pleased with the results: the levels of markers indicating heart muscle damage remain low. Researchers also report that they have already performed a successful repeat operation in early 2025. The results will be published soon.
Currently, the authors continue to improve the technology for preserving donor organs so that more patients can receive functional organs and a minimal risk of complications.
An alternative to human donor organs is xenotransplantation, whereby organs from a genetically modified animal are transplanted into patients. Scientists recently reported achieving the maximum lifespan for a patient with a pig kidney. Furthermore, clinical trials of pig-to-human liver transplantation are beginning.
