2023-05-24 16:48:55
A team of healthcare workers successfully transported a heart in an unprecedented journey from Alaska to Massachusetts in late April.
Dr. Joseph Rubelowsky, a cardiothoracic surgeon, led the operation, leaving his hometown of Cleveland for Juneau, Alaska. From there, he picked up the organ and sped east, traveling 2,506 nautical miles before arriving at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
This cross-country journey took seven and a half hours, well longer than the recommended four to six hour period in which the heart is between bodies, and set a record for the farthest a heart has traveled, according to Paragonix Technologies.
For years, transplant specialists have used coolers every day to transport hearts across state lines in a rush to get them to a patient on time. While that has been successful on many occasions, it can be difficult to manipulate the temperature and protect the heart from tissue damage due to freezing temperatures.
A cooling system called the SherpaPak from Paragonix Technologies offers a promising alternative. First approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2013, experts say it has gained popularity in the past decade after research continues to show it can extend the essential time period between transplants and provide a more stable environment for the organ.
Unlike an everyday cooler, the SherpaPak keeps the heart between 4 and 8 degrees Celsius, the optimal window to protect the heart, according to Rubelowsky.
The technology also allows a number of people, including Rubelowsky and health care providers in Alaska and Boston, to monitor the temperature from their phones.
Landing after midnight in Boston, Rubelowsky was met by an ambulance that took over the last leg of the trip, delivering him to Massachusetts General Hospital. With his part of the trip complete, he returned to Cleveland and learned that “heart was doing great,” according to a text message from a Boston surgeon.
The patient was discharged from the hospital several weeks later.
This trip gives health care providers and policy experts hope that they can improve the state of transplantation in the US.
According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, 17 people in the US die every day waiting for an organ transplant. The problem is compounded by the fact that nearly 18% of all donated kidneys are thrown away, according to a 2019 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. This high discard rate is due in part to strict guidelines and benchmarks that prevent doctors from using older or higher-risk kidneys.
The SherpaPak could at least prevent further spoilage in transit and expand the supply of all organ donations.
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