The process of transporting donor organs is a faulty one, to say the least. How it essentially works is that doctors remove the organs from a deceased donor, toss them in a plastic bag and then throw them into a cooler filled with ice, which gives them a very limited amount of time to get those organs to the recipients who so desperately need them. Between 5 to 10 hours is all they've got, and if the transport time is longer than that, the organs start to die, and become unusable.
As reported by NPR, a Massachusetts company called TransMedics has just developed a groundbreaking new experimental device, which could forever change this archaic process.
They're calling it the "lung in a box," and it literally allows for organs to stay alive outside of the bodies of their donors, and while in transport. The device circulates blood through the lungs and pumps oxygen through the lobes, and a similar machine has also been developed for hearts.
Though not yet approved by the FDA, all 12 transplants the device were used for in preliminary studies proved successful, and doctors around the country are currently working on a larger study, with more than 250 patients.
Want to freak out your co-workers by bringing your lunch to work in an organ transplant cooler? Then pick up this awesome human organ lunchbox!