{"id":18788,"date":"2024-12-23T04:37:35","date_gmt":"2024-12-23T05:37:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=18788"},"modified":"2024-12-23T08:23:38","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T08:23:38","slug":"lungs-in-a-box-could-increase-vital-transplants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=18788","title":{"rendered":"‘Lungs in a box’ could increase vital transplants"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"RoyalRoyal Papworth Hospital<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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A new machine which keeps lungs alive outside of the body could “transform” the number of people receiving transplants, surgeons hope.<\/p>\n

The breakthrough has come at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire after it became the first in the UK to pilot the use of the XPS system.<\/p>\n

The machine, nicknamed “lungs in a box”, mimics the human body and surgeon Marius Burman said it could increase the number of transplants by 30%.<\/p>\n

Daniel Evans-Smith, a 49-year-old event manager from Northampton, was the first to receive a double lung transplant using the system on the NHS and said he was “immensely grateful”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"RoyalRoyal Papworth Hospital<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Some 81% of lungs are rejected for transplantation<\/a> because they are inflamed or in poor condition.<\/p>\n

The machine improves the health of the organs, by using a ventilator to inflate and deflate the lungs. A liquid containing nutrients and oxygen is also pumped through them.<\/p>\n

The technique is called ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP). It means donated lungs which are considered “borderline” for use can be reconditioned and used, instead of being discarded.<\/p>\n

The organs are kept at body temperature, for up to six hours.<\/p>\n

The one-year pilot has been funded by NHS England and the Royal Papworth charity.<\/p>\n

The machine was only previously used in UK research trials.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"RoyalRoyal Papworth Hospital<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Prof Derek Manas, NHS blood and transplant medical director, said there was “mounting evidence” the technology could “enable more transplants by improving organ function”.<\/p>\n

Despite the law change on organ donation consent<\/a> in 2019, the hospital said there was a shortage of donated lungs, so the machine was making the most of those available.<\/p>\n

Prof Manas said more than 200 people were waiting for a lung transplant which “significantly” outweighed the number of suitable donor organs.<\/p>\n

Having the lungs “alive” outside the body also allows surgeons to test the organs, which means the transplants have a better chance of success.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"RoyalRoyal Papworth Hospital<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Mr Evans-Smith quit smoking 12 years ago, but developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung condition that causes breathing difficulties.<\/p>\n

He suffered a collapsed lung on five occasions and spent a total of six months in hospital before the transplant.<\/p>\n

He was about to be discharged when he was woken by nurses who told him donor lungs had been found.<\/p>\n

The organs were put on ice and transported to Cambridge, where they were placed in the machine to be “reconditioned” before transplant.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"DAWIDDAWID WOJTOWICZ\/BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Mr Evans-Smith said it was a “privilege to be chosen”.<\/p>\n

He said: “There were conversations this time last year, with some of the hospitals saying I needed to talk about palliative care, because if I didn’t get the transplant under way very soon, the likelihood was I wouldn’t survive.”<\/p>\n

He is now hoping to fundraise for the team that saved his life.<\/p>\n

“I can now do hills without having to think about it, I don’t have to rest when I’m out and about around town,” he said. “I can’t thank them enough”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"NIKKINIKKI FOX\/BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Marius Berman, surgical lead for transplantation at Royal Papworth Hospital, said they were “very proud to have become the first UK hospital to use this machine” outside of clinical trials.<\/p>\n

Other technology exists, but surgeons said the simplicity of the machine allows people to be trained quickly and some alternatives require a surgical team to travel to the donor, which can be expensive.<\/p>\n

He said 30% of people on the lung transplant list died and Mr Evans-Smith had “had a very small window of opportunity”.<\/p>\n

“Daniel would not have been with us today without a lung transplant, and we couldn’t have done the lung transplant without EVLP,” he added.<\/p>\n

Royal Papworth hospital carries out more lung transplants than any other UK centre, completing 41 in the last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Related internet links<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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