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The heart transplant was believed to be an impossible surgery until the first one was performed in 1967. Yet even in 2013, this surgery remains among the most complicated to perform successfully, while increasing amounts of individuals sign up for heart transplants each year. In fact, only 5,000 heart transplants are performed annually, and on any given day more than 3,000 people are waiting for a transplant.
The inventors of the Organ Care System hope to change that. They have created a machine that is able to keep the heart warm and beating during transportation from the donor to the recipient. Once a donor is found that matches the patient in blood type, body size and medical condition, the heart then needs to be transported while it's still alive and beating. For this reason, those in need of heart transplants can wait anywhere from six months to a year in critical condition until they receive a heart.
Watch how the 'Heart in a Box' could save the lives of millions and make complications of heart transplants a thing of the past.
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