h+ Magazine

TransMedics, Inc. in Andover, Mass. has come up with the Organ Care System, an ingenious solution to the specter of medical staffers looking like they’re going to a frat party while carrying vital organs in a hospital cooler. It’s a portable machine that keeps the organs in a viable state longer than any cooler. While federal law currently limits the TransMedics system to investigational uses, the technology is a solution to serious problems incurred by medical staff in transporting organs. The system is set up with a wireless and portable monitor that allows monitoring of the organ’s vitals inside the device, including viewing the organ through a sterile plastic window. The machine has special bags for the fluids needed to keep the organ preserved. The various valves and monitors are hooked up to the organ within the sterile container, with multiple options for connections depending on the organ. According to their website, this allows for “healthier organs, better matching, less urgency, and more organs.” With this technology, the medical community will be able to get more organs to the people who need them and not let good donations go to waste because of outdated transportation methods.