Royal Papworth Hospital ‘lungs in a box’ could boost transplants tophyper

December 23, 2024

Royal Papworth Hospital The lungs were donated inside a special dome-shaped incubator. The dome is plastic and you can see the tubes carrying liquid oxygen and nitrates going into the trachea in the lungs. It is inflated by a ventilator — The machine, nicknamed “lungs in a box,” is designed to mimic the human body

Surgeons hope that a new machine that keeps lungs alive outside the body could “change the way” the number of people receiving organ transplants.

This achievement came at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire after it became the first in the United Kingdom to trial the use of the XPS system.

The machine, dubbed “lungs in a box”, mimics the human body, and surgeon Marius Bormann said it could increase the number of organ transplants by 30%.

Daniel Evans-Smith, the 49-year-old event director from Northampton, was the first to perform a double lung transplant using the NHS’s existing system, and said he was “extremely grateful”.

David Evans-Smith had a double lung transplant in the summer and hopes to return to work in three to six months

Royal Papworth Hospital Daniel Evans Smith looks at the camera from his hospital bed. He is wearing a hospital gown and a blanket is covering his shoulders. He had a beard and gray hair. You can see the oxygen tubes in the background not connected to Mr. Evans-Smith — David Evans-Smith had a double lung transplant in the summer and hopes to return to work in three to six months

About 81% of lungs are rejected for transplantation Because it is inflamed or in bad condition.

The machine improves organ health, by using a ventilator to inflate and deflate the lungs. A fluid containing nutrients and oxygen is also pumped through them.

This technique is called ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP). This means that donated lungs that are considered “borderline” for use can be refurbished and used, rather than disposed of.

The organs are kept at body temperature for up to six hours.

The one-year pilot was funded by NHS England and the Royal Papworth Charitable Trust.

The machine had previously only been used in research trials in the UK.

Evans-Smith waited eight weeks to undergo a transplant using the device. The average wait in the UK is 18 months

Royal Papworth Hospital Daniel Evans Smith lies on a bed in the operating room at the Royal Papworth Hospital. His eyes are open, he wears his wristband, and looks at the ceiling. Behind him stands a surgeon wearing a hairnet and a scrub. Two nurses are checking equipment to his left and wearing scrubs and aprons — Evans-Smith waited eight weeks to undergo a transplant using the device. The average wait in the UK is 18 months

Professor Derek Manas, medical director of NHS blood and transplantation, said there was “increasing evidence” that the technology could “enable more organ transplants by improving organ function”.

in spite of Changing the law regarding consent for organ donation In 2019, the hospital said there was a shortage of donated lungs, so the machine was making the most of those available.

Professor Manas said more than 200 people were waiting for a lung transplant, which “vastly” exceeded the number of suitable donated organs.

Having the lungs “living” outside the body also allows surgeons to test the organs, meaning organ transplants have a better chance of success.

Mr Evans-Smith spent three weeks in critical care after the transplant and is taking medication to prevent his body from rejecting the lungs

Royal Papworth Hospital Daniel Evans-Smith sits in a wheelchair outside Royal Papworth Hospital. He looks at the camera and two female employees in white uniforms stand behind him. They are wearing face masks. Mr Evans-Smith has an oxygen tube inserted into his nose and taped to the side of his face. He is wearing a black t-shirt and gray joggers. — Mr Evans-Smith spent three weeks in critical care after the transplant and is taking medication to prevent his body from rejecting the lungs

Evans-Smith quit smoking 12 years ago, but developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung condition that causes breathing difficulties.

He suffered a collapsed lung on five occasions and spent a total of six months in hospital before the transplant.

He was about to leave the hospital when the nurses woke him up and told him that two donor lungs had been found.

The organs were placed on ice and transported to Cambridge, where they were placed in the machine to be “regenerated” before being transplanted.

Mr Evans-Smith can now walk up the stairs to his apartment thanks to his new lungs

DAWID WOJTOWICZ/BBC Daniel Evans-Smith walks up the stairs to his flat in Northampton. He's clinging to a cream railing and wearing a green cardigan and navy pants. His beard is slightly braided and his hair is grey. — Mr Evans-Smith can now walk up the stairs to his apartment thanks to his new lungs

Evans-Smith said his selection was a “privilege.”

“There were conversations at this time last year where some hospitals said I needed to talk about palliative care, because if I didn’t get the transplant very soon, I probably wouldn’t survive,” he said.

He now hopes to raise funds for the team that saved his life.

“Now I can do hills without having to think about it, and I don’t need to rest when I’m out and about in the city,” he said. “I can’t thank them enough.”

Surgeon Marius Berman hopes positive results from the 12-month pilot will mean continued funding

Nicky Fox/BBC Surgeon Marius Berman stands in the critical care department at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire. There are blue curtains on either side of him and some monitoring computers in the blurred background. He is dressed in blue clothes and wears metal-rimmed glasses. He's looking straight into the camera with short gray hair. — Surgeon Marius Berman hopes positive results from the 12-month pilot will mean continued funding

Marius Berman, lead transplant surgeon at Royal Papworth Hospital, said they were “very proud to be the first hospital in the UK to use this device” outside of clinical trials.

Other techniques exist, but surgeons said the simplicity of the machine allows people to train quickly, and some alternatives require a surgical team to travel to the donor, which can be expensive.

He said 30 percent of people on the lung transplant list died, and Evans-Smith had very little chance.

He added: “Daniel would not be with us today if it had not been for the lung transplant, and we would not have been able to have the lung transplant if it had not been for EVLP.”

Royal Papworth Hospital performs more lung transplants than any other center in the UK, completing 41 last year.

December 23, 2024

bybobilo0106