Scientists from the University of Toronto have found that storing donor lungs at 10 degrees Celsius for transplantation significantly increases the lifespan of the organ. Results of the study published In the New England Journal of Medicine Evidence.
Standard light storage involves maintaining a temperature regime of about four degrees Celsius with ice. This option allows you to store the lungs for up to eight hours – after which time transplanting the lungs is dangerous due to the high risk of primary graft dysfunction (PDT). It is a potentially fatal injury to fragile transplanted lungs that occurs in the first days after transplant surgery and affects more than half of lung transplant recipients.
A new method by scientists from Toronto extends the storage period of the organ by four times. The test was carried out over a period of one and a half years: the scientists took a sample of 70 patients transplanted with stored lungs according to the new method. After surgery, the authors observed the patients’ condition. None of them developed primary graft dysfunction.
The increase in storage time allows live donor lungs to be delivered at greater distances. Transplant surgeries may become elective procedures, increasing the chances of survival for those waiting for transplants.
“Our results are revolutionary. We are still experiencing severe organ shortages. There are so many people dying on the waiting list. Therefore, our discovery is a major achievement that will change transplantation,” he said.