Heart transplantation is the final treatment option for those patients with end stage heart disease. A shortage of donors coupled with the fact that not all donated hearts are suitable for transplant mean that many patients must wait for many months or years for a suitable organ and some may die waiting. Better methods of resuscitating hearts after removal from donors and preserving them while transported to a recipient would allow more hearts to be used and more lives saved.
The researchers will investigate the novel technique of using gas instead of blood to resuscitate and support donated organs before transplantation. Gas may provide a more effective, simpler and cheaper method of resuscitation and storage than machines circulating fluid or blood through the heart while outside the body. As part of the project, the group is also further developing a novel method of assessing the health of donated hearts using ultrasound technology. Rapid assessment of heart health would allow more donated organs to be screened and if functioning well, be transplanted into needy recipients.
Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, WA
Dr Warren Pavey, Professor Livia Hool, Professor Kwok Ho and Professor Luke Haseler.
The project was awarded $81,161 funding through the ANZCA research grants program for 2020.
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