An Answer to a Prevalent Health Problem -- The Shortage of Suitable Donor Lungs ??

Another one...

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is at it again folks. Last time, I presented an article on Tissue Nanotransfection, which can be found here if you missed it. This time around, however, it's a relatively new process called Ex-Vivo Lung Perfusion.

The Comprehensive Transplant Center at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center is the first health care center in all of Ohio to test this new medical process known as Ex-Vivo Lung Perfusion, or EVLP for short.

Image Source

EVLP is a mechanical operating system that actually respirates, warms, nourishes and repairs donor lungs outside (hence the ex-vivo) of the human body.

This process will ultimately allow for and improve upon the overall likelihood that the donor organ will, in fact, be able to be utilized in a lifesaving transplant operation.

Current Shortage of Donor Lungs Available

This process is really something quite special for the world of medicine because there is often times a relative imbalance between the number of suitable donor lungs available and the increasing number of patients in need of a lifesaving transplant. This overall disparity ultimately reflects upon the effects we have and continue to see with wait-list mortality rates.

As a direct result of this, EVLP is emerging as a potential alternative to help combat this growing issue. With such preservation properties of this particular process, more accurate lung assessment and overall improvement of lung function may very well be yielded as a result.

Reference

Cheers to more medical breakthroughs here at my home institution!!