Tampa General lung transplants: New technology tests donor organ performance

Doctors at Tampa General Hospital are utilizing a device called the XVIVO Lung Perfusion Machine to evaluate donor lungs prior to transplant surgery. Organ donor lung testingDoctors at TGH have performed three lung transplants using the XVIVO machine, which serves as a way station between the donor and recipient. The device tests 10 different aspects of lung performance, such as blood oxygenation, material solidity, and how well the tissue expands and contracts by injecting blood and oxygen. Rare donor lung viabilityOnly 20% of donor lungs are suitable for transplant surgery, leaving many patients to die on waiting lists, according to Dr. Kamal Ayyat, the head of TGH's X-Vivo Program. The hospital has completed 62 lung transplants this year, breaking its previous record of 58 set in 2010.Protecting transplant patient outcomes"We are removing all the risks. Because if we took lungs, we are not sure about the Balmori function or the graft function. [If] you put it on the recipient, you'r