First Fully Automated Liver Perfusion Device
April 29, 2013 | Terry Sharrer
Until now, liver transplantation was a race against time—i.e. the time a liver “on ice” remained viable, usually no more than a half day. Engineers at Oxford University, however, have developed the first fully automated liver perfusion device that holds a liver at body temperature while circulating red blood cells for at least 24 hours. During that time the organ continues making bile and retains its color. Surgeons at King’s College Hospital have successfully used this device with two patients, but keeping livers “alive” for 24 hours effectively doubles the number of organs that are available for transplantation. MORE WITH VIDEO
Image Credit: Oxford Univesity and MedicalNewsToday.com