'Heart-in-a-Box' Technology Expands Access to Organs for Transplant

MAYWOOD, IL –Loyola Medicine recently completed its first transplant using TransMedics Organ Care System™ (OCS™), commonly referred to as "Heart-in-a-Box." The technology acts as a miniature intensive care unit to keep donor hearts alive and healthy by preserving them in a natural state that mimics the human body. Traditionally, a donor heart is placed in a plastic bag filled with a cold preservative solution and packed in a cooler filled with ice which limits the amount of time the heart is healthy enough for transplant. With "Heart-in-a-Box," the organ stays viable for up to 12 hours, twice as long as cold storage. This means a donor heart can travel a longer distance, dramatically increasing the number organs available for patients waiting for a new heart.

For a 64-year old Loyola patient, the technology proved life saving. After suffering from heart failure for 13 years, his condition had deteriorated and he was hospitalized at Loyola waiting for a heart. Within days a donor heart that matched his rare blood type was located in another state, but the surgeon set to get on a plane to get the heart fell ill with COVID. Thanks to the extended time provided by the "Heart-in-a-Box," the Loyola team worked with Transmedics to identify another surgeon who could travel to get the heart before time ran out.

Edwin McGee, MD, surgical director of heart transplantation and ventricular assist device program at Loyola Medicine, says "Heart-in-a-Box" provides a new arrow in the quiver to procure healthy organs. "Allocation of donor hearts changed in 2018 to prioritize sicker patients, often meaning longer procurement runs. At Loyola, we're always looking for ways to make heart transplants safer and more accessible."

The National OCS™ Program allows for long distance retrievals, minimized resource requirements for transplant centers, standardized quality and increased transplant volume that helps benefit more patients on the wait list.

Dr. McGee noted that the "Heart-in-a-Box" has benefits beyond increasing the number of hearts available. By using perfusion technology to pump warm, oxygenated blood through the heart during transportartion, the heart stays at the same temperature as the human body and is less likely to be damaged by freezing. Also, the "Heart-in-a-Box" gives doctors an opportunity to better evaluate the health of the heart which can lead to fewer failed transplants.

Katie Rettke, BSN, RN, cardiothoracic procurement coordinator at Loyola University Medical Center, was instrumental in getting the patient his heart. "Being able to call patients and tell them we have a heart for them is one of the best parts of this job." When the patient and his family discovered he was the first Loyola patient to benefit from the new technology, they were moved to tears.

Loyola Medicine has been providing exceptional outcomes for heart transplant patients since 1984. Our team offers the highest level of integrated, multidisciplinary care for advanced heart patients who are in need of a heart transplant. Loyola’s cardiology & heart surgery care is known for taking on the most challenging cases, including patients turned down by other transplant centers.