UCLA teams up with TransMedics to revolutionize the future of heart transplants

'The concept of transplanting a donor heart in a beating state is revolutionary.'

Over 5,000 heart transplants are performed every year, but as more and more people find themselves in need of a transplant, over 3,000 people wait on the transplant list at any given time.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - More and more people are in need of a heart transplant every year but there just aren't enough donors.

According to UNOS, an average of 22 people die every day while they wait for a viable organ transplant.

Every ten seconds, someone is added to the national transplant waiting list, 9.6 percent of whom are in need of a heart.

MedlinePlus.gov explains those who require a heart transplant are those who have:

• Severe heart damage after a heart attack
• Severe heart failure, when medicines, other treatments, and surgery no longer help
• Severe heart defects that were present at birth and can't be fixed with surgery
• Life-threatening abnormal heartbeats or rhythms that do not respond to other treatments

Sadly, many of the people who could most benefit from a heart transplant die while

The Ronald Reagan UCLA heart transplantation medical team is spearheading a national, 2 clinical study of a revolutionary organ-preservation system called the Organ Care System (OCS).

OCS was developed by TransMedics and allows a heart to remain beating, pumping oxygen and nutrient-rich blood at the ideal temperature.

The device also displays a monitor to give live updates of the heart's functionality during transport.

Currently, organs are transported in iceboxes. They are simply placed in a sanitized bag then saved on ice - much like one might attempt to save an amputated finger on their way to the hospital.

Needless to say, the OCS can ensure a stronger, healthier heart is being transplanted into its patient.

"The concept of transplanting a donor heart in a beating state is revolutionary," Dr. Abbas Ardehali, the surgical director of the heart and lung transplantation program at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and principal investigator of the OCS trail explained.

"This promising technology may improve the function of the donor heart, because it remains in a near-physiologic state. It can also help us better assess the suitability of a potential donor, since we can test the heart in the device."

The OCS may also provide a better tissue match for the donor. The box allows transport teams more time to test the organ for potential rejection factors.

Another amazing part of using the OCS is putting an end to tragic events.

Currently, the ice pack method of transporting organs severely limits the range of travel for an organ. If a heart is a perfect match for someone four hours away, the ice packs won't sustain the organ. With OCS, that heart could travel the distance.

UCLA is leading an OCS study with 128 random patients nationwide. The controlled trial compared the safety and effectiveness of the OCS to the traditional icebox method.

With any luck, the OCS will prove superior and will be available to hospitals around the world.

Other study sites include:

• Columbia University
• The Cleveland Clinic
• Washington University in St. Louis
• Tufts Medical Center
• Massachusetts General Hospital
• Brigham and Women's Hospital
• Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
• Stanford Hospital and Clinics
• University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
• Jackson Memorial Hospital and
• University of Washington, Seattle

Ardehali explained: "There are not enough donor hearts to help all the patients who are waiting. If we can find ways to improve upon our limited supply of hearts, then more lives will be saved."

The trial, called the "Prospective, Randomized, Multicenter Safety and Effectiveness Evaluation of the Organ Care System Device for Cardiac Use" (PROCEED II) is fully designed and sponsored by TransMedics.

Ardehali has no financial ties to disclose and TransMedics Inc. is a privately held medical device company founded in 1998 by cardian surgeon Dr. Waleen Hassanein.

For more information about TransMedics, please visit their website.

To learn more about UCLA's adult and pediatric heart transplant program, please visit their website.

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