Donor Lungs Made To Breathe Outside Body - International Breakthrough For Transplant Team At Wythenshawe Hospital, South Manchester, England

Main Category: Transplants / Organ Donations
Also Included In: Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 01 Dec 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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The transplant team at University Hospital of South Manchester (UHSM) have successfully transplanted the UK's first patient using donor lungs that have been made to breathe outside the body. This is the first time this has been undertaken anywhere in the world outside Sweden and means up 25% more patients could benefit from lung transplants every year.

'Ex-Vivo' lung assessment involves using lungs which have been removed from the donor either after their heart has stopped beating, or from standard donors whose lung function was sub-optimal at donor assessment but improved after the ex- vivo assessment.

With the new technique of ex-vivo assessment, the lungs are pumped with blood, gases and oxygen to keep them healthy for a longer period than they would normally survive outside of the body. After a period of monitoring by doctors, lungs that would have initially been rejected are found to be of a high enough quality to use safely in a transplant. This breakthrough means many more organs could become available for transplant.

Director of Transplant at UHSM Mr Nizar Yonan says: "This is a first for transplant in the United Kingdom and follows years of research from the transplant team at Wythenshawe Hospital. Mr Collins is making excellent progress and is an example of how this procedure benefits patients who may otherwise have died waiting for a transplant due to the national shortage of lungs. We have around 30 patients who have consented to be transplanted using ex-vivo organs and I am confident that many lives will be saved using this technique."

Patient Mr Kenneth Collins (55) says: "I am very grateful to Wythenshawe Hospital and the team that I have been able to benefit from this new technique. I agreed to take part because I felt I had nothing to lose and wanted to have a transplant as soon as possible. I already feel 10 or 15 years younger."

This initiative was made possible thanks to a £100,000 grant from transplant Charity New Start to fund the initial equipment and training.

University Hospital of South Manchester NHS
http://www.uhsm.nhs.uk