“If just half of the currently discarded transplant hearts in the US could be preserved and used, we could clear the entire US waiting list for organ transplants within two to three years,” the paper noted, citing data from the main donor registry in the United States.
“Extending the low-temperature preservation time of the heart to 24 hours would provide patients with a larger time window, which may save more lives.”
Hearts have the shortest preservation time – at just six hours after leaving the donor – and consequently the highest discard rate. Lungs can remain viable for nine hours, while liver transplants have a 12-hour window and kidneys can be preserved for 24 hours.
This limits how far and for how long organs can be transported. Helicopters are used in the US to expand the organ transport radius, while high-speed trains are employed in China.