The heart in a box transplant is a fairly new technique, which is where a heart is kept warm and beating throughout an entire heart transplant process. Blood from the donor patient continues to be pumped through the aorta and arteries in the heart, while it is kept in a sterile box in the TransMedics cart. The heart is also given oxygen and nutrients so it stays healthy and viable to be transplanted into a new body. The first heart in a box transplant took place in Sydney, Australia and there have also been successful transplants in the UK. The heart in a box transplant is approved for full use in both of these countries, but in the US it is not FDA approved for complete transplant use. The heart in a box transplant is currently being tested in seven different medical centers in the US and has had successful clinical trial outcomes. This kind of transplant can increase the viable transplant time from four to six hours to eleven hours, allowing the heart to be transplanted to further distances and more critical patients. Currently, doctors race hearts to patients, often confronting complications, which leave the transplants unsuccessful. The current method for heart transplants involves removing the heart from the donor patient, put the heart on ice and then attempt to revive the heart inside the new patient.Around seven percent of these types heart transplants are unsuccessful. The heart in a box transplant never stops the heart, so doctors don't have to revive it once in the new patient. All in all the heart in a box has the potential to save more human lives and make for safer heart transplants.
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