Traditionally, donor organs are removed and stored temporarily in special environmental conditions before being delivered to the recipient. For example, the heart is disconnected from the blood supply during transport, which is associated with the risk of tissue damage due to lack of oxygen. Now, scientists have performed the world's first transplant with zero intermediate stage - the donor heart continued to beat continuously.
"We wanted to perform a heart transplant without an 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 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 managed to achieve a reduction in the ischemic period - from 10 to 30 minutes. The zero intermediate stage was achieved for the first time.
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 result: the low level of indicators indicating damage to the heart muscle remains. The 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 of 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, where the organ of a GMO animal is transplanted into patients. Scientists recently reported that they have achieved the maximum life expectancy of a patient with a pig kidney. In addition, clinical trials are starting on transplanting pig livers into humans.