As part of a clinical trial, UCLA Health recently performed the first lung transplant using donor lungs transported with the newest technology.

The transplant represents “a new chapter in the field of organ transplantation,” said Abbas Ardehali, MD, the surgeon who performed the surgery and principal investigator for the FDA-approved clinical trial.

Traditionally, donor lungs are preserved outside the body (ex vivo) using ice. This poses a risk of lung damage due to the lack of blood flow.

Then, ex vivo warm perfusion devices were developed. These devices pump a warm, oxygenated solution through the lungs to help keep them in a breathing state before transplant. Even in this method, excess fluid in the lungs could damage the delicate lung tissue.

A recent modification to the warm perfusion device addresses this issue. This important change, among other updates, will help preserve donor lungs, likely leading to improved clinical outcomes.