The Breathing Lung

            Thanks to a fascinating organ, called the lung, we are able to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide with the blood, which allows our body’s cells to carry on their daily functions. However, there are people whose lungs no longer function properly and therefore need a lung transplant. A lung transplant involves surgically removing the lungs of a deceased person onto that of the recipient (1). Lung transplants can be performed from newborns to adults under the age of sixty five (1).

Usually once the donor lungs are removed from the cadaver they are placed inside an icebox where they are carried to the recipient (2). However, there is no longer any need for the icebox when one can have a breathing lung transplant instead, which the lung transplant team at Ronald UCLA medical have successfully performed (2). The devise, known as the Organ Care System (OSC), works by keeping the lungs alive and functioning while being transported (2). As soon as the lungs are placed in the device they are warmed and start breathing using oxygen and a supplementary solution of red blood cells (2). Dr. Abbas Ardehali, a professor and director at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, believes the breathing lung transplant device will not only allow them to improve the function of the donor lungs, it also makes it easier to access the donor lungs and carry them safely across longer distances (2). The OCS device is still going through clinical trials in lung transplant centers in Europe, Australia and Canada (2).

I believe the OCS device will have a positive effect on society. With this new technology device, the donor lungs will be tested before they are put into the recipient, which can determine if the donor lungs are adequate for the recipient; something that cannot be done in the iced box method. Also with the OCS device, the donor lungs can travel across longer distances and are safer than if they were on the iced box. Overall, not only will the OCS device help improve the lung transplant process, it will also save lives.

1.) “Lung Transplantation Procedure.” Johns Hopkins Medicine. The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Web. 27 Mar 2013.

2.) University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences. “First ‘breathing Lung’ transplant in United States.” ScienceDaily, 26                               Nov. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2013.