Optimization of a device for preservation and evaluation of donor hearts while functioning external to the body, in preparation for transplant

心脏相关疾病是加拿大人死亡的主要原因。对于终末期心力衰竭的最终治疗，心脏移植仍然是黄金标准疗法。然而，供体器官的短缺限制了这种挽救生命的干预措施的广泛应用。使这个问题复杂化的是在多器官移植患者中观察到的心脏功能不佳的频率很高。这导致提供的心脏利用率较低。我们正在开发一种装置，它将为供者心脏提供持续的基于温血的灌流，从而使器官得到最佳保存。此外，心脏的功能评估和潜在的治疗可以在更长的时间内进行，为增加可用心脏的数量和进行移植的时间打开了窗口。该设备的开发、优化和验证是医学和工程学学者在一家旨在将该设备商业化的公司的支持下进行的合作。

Cardiac related diseases are a leading cause of death for Canadians. For definitive treatmentof end-stage heart failure, cardiac transplantation remains the gold standard therapy. A shortsupply of donor organs however, limits the wider application of this life saving intervention.Compounding this problem is a high frequency of poor heart function observed in the multiorgandonor. This results in a low utilization rate of hearts that are offered. We are developinga device that will provide continuous warm blood-based perfusion of the donor heart,permitting optimal preservation of the organ. As well, functional assessment of the heart andpotential treatment can be undertaken over a longer period of time, opening the window for anincrease in the number of available hearts and the time available to carry out the transplant.The development, optimization and proving of this device is a collaboration betweenacademics in Medicine and Engineering with the support of a company aimed atcommercializing the device.