Transporting Organs for Transplantation in Georgia

By Locomotion

According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) in 2008, there were 27,961 transplants performed in the United States. There were 622 organs transplanted in Georgia alone. Each of these organs had to be transported from the donor to the recipient in a sterile and timely fashion in order to preserve the organ's delicate tissue. Before newer more efficient methods of organ transport were implemented, the organs that were removed were packed in ice and then flushed and packed in fluids. Using the previously mentioned methods, the maximum time a heart could survive outside the body was 6 hours. This limited the possible recipients because of geographical constraints and many organs were wasted because there were no current recipients within 6 hours distance.

Now, thanks to the company TransMedics, who has developed the first commercial, portable, warm blood perfusion system, organs can survive outside the body for 24 hours or more! This system allows organs to maintain normal body temperature and remain in a functioning state while in transport. This allows medical teams to monitor the organ for diseases or defects missed or undiscovered during or before organ removal and treat them accordingly. Using this system, TransMedics also hopes to be able to resuscitate organs that have been removed from recently deceased donors. The hospital in Georgia which performs the most organ transplants in the state is Emory University Hospital. Doctors at Emory perform 60% of all organ transplants in Georgia and the second largest organ transplant hospital is Piedmont Hospital.

Many organs protected by this or other systems are transported using general aviation (private planes or charter services) such as air ambulances or medvacs. One of the pros of using helicopters for organ transport is that they can land at the airport closest to the hospital no matter how small. Cons would include the high cost of fuel and charter services as well as the dangers of crashing due to weather conditions. There has been an increase in the number of medical transport injuries and fatalities in the last year with 13 accidents and 29 deaths. There has been a push for safety legislation to solve the problem. It may be dangerous, but I still believe that organ transportation by air is still a smart move.

Sources:

(2009, February 4). Families of medevac helicopter crash victims push for fixes. Scripps News,

Korschun, H (2004 February 2). Mason Trust Awards $2M to Emory and Children's Healthcare for Liver Transplant Chair. Retrieved July 6, 2009, from Emory WHSC Web site: http://whsc.emory.edu/press_releases2.cfm?announcement_id_seq=264

(2005, May 23). Piedmont Hospital receives National Organ Donation Medal of Honor for Transplant Services. Retrieved July 6, 2009, from Piedmont Hospital Web site: http://www.piedmonthospital.org/wtn/Page.asp?PageID=WTN000045

Organ Care System. Retrieved July 6, 2009, from TransMedics Web site: http://www.transmedics.com/wt/page/organ_care

Transplants in the U.S. by State. Retrieved July 6, 2009, from US Department of Health and Human Services: Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Web site: http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/latestData/rptData.asp

Gooch, S (2002, March). 21st century lifeline: redesigning organ transplant transport.. Entrepreneur, Retrieved July 2, 2009, from http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/91422289.html