The technique has been developed at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Comprehensive Transplant Center. The operation runs Ohio’s only adult transplant center and it is one of the largest transplant programs in the U.S.
The center has been examining the effectiveness of a process called Ex-Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP), and this evaluation, which includes an assessment of safety, has been undertaken through a clinical trial.
The Ex-Vivo Lung Perfusion treatment assesses the potential of donated lungs for transplantation to expand the donor (lung) pool. It also improves the function of donated lungs (where many donated lungs are considered unsuitable for transplantation). In addition, the treatment lowers inflammation and reduces the chance of rejection for the lung transplant patient.
The Ex-Vivo Lung Perfusion process involves positioning donated lungs inside a sterile plastic incubator and attaching them to a circuit. The circuit includes a ventilator, perfusion pump and filters. The lungs are maintained or supported on the circuit at normal body temperature and perfused with a solution containing nutrients, antibiotics and oxygen. This process keeps donated lungs in optimal conditions, and it can repair injured lungs. The perfusion process takes six hours.
The ability to rescue lungs that might otherwise be discarded means that more lungs will be available for patients who desperately need them.
Commenting on the scheme, the lead evaluator Dr. Bryan Whitson explained the current difficulties: “Expanding the number of lifesaving and life-enhancing lung transplants is limited by the number of available donors and the quality of the donated organs.”
He then added why the Ex-Vivo Lung Perfusion offers hope: “Having the ability to more adequately evaluate potential donor organs and to even repair or resuscitate them is a game changer for lung transplantation.” Dr. Whitson is a cardiothoracic surgeon and the director of the lung transplant program at the Wexner Medical Center.
