More than 78,000
patients are on the national transplant waiting list and overall,
almost 6,000 patients in the U.S. will die due to the limited
supply of organs. With its potential to greatly increase the
pool of available transplant organs, the Portable Organs Preservation
Systems (POPS) retains the ability to reduce such fatality
rates.
Using current technology, prior to transplant organs are packed in coolers filled with ice and special solutions and can only be preserved safely for limited periods of time. However, POPS preserves the heart and other organs by mimicking the actions and environmental conditions of the internal body, such as perfusing it with blood and a proprietary maintenance solution.
This process lengthens that window of opportunity, which not only results in a greater number of donor organs that are attainable, but also provides transplant teams sufficient time to perform a complete range of tests on such organs. As a result, organs previously viewed as questionable may be found suitable for transplant due to more extensive testing. Furthermore, perfusion with POPS may result in improved organ function by 'resuscitating' previously unusable organs and a higher quality of post-transport organ due to reduction, or even elimination, of injuries to the donor organ associated with the reintroduction of oxygenated blood to organs during transplant.