Longest-ever preservation for lung transplant

The multidisciplinary transplant team of Leuven’s University Hospital has succeeded in preserving a pair of donor lungs for more than 11 hours before transplantation. That is the longest period known worldwide.

The multidisciplinary transplant team of Leuven’s University Hospital has succeeded in preserving a pair of donor lungs for more than 11 hours before transplantation. That is the longest period known worldwide.

The extended preservation time was necessary because the patient with chronic lung failure suddenly developed acute liver problems and went into coma. The surgeons first needed to perform a liver transplant, as a lung transplant requires a proper functioning of the liver.

Normally, a donor lung can be preserved for 10 hours outside the body, but the specialists used a new preservation technique. The lungs were not, as usual, put on ice but placed in the machine OCS LUNG, which ensured continual flushing and oxygen at room temperature. The patient is in good health and has been discharged from the hospital.