February 17, 2025|
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|10 months agoSwiss Hospital Achieves European Record in Heart Transplant Innovation
Bern's Inselspital keeps donor heart viable for 12 hours using revolutionary ex vivo perfusion technique, doubling transplant success rates
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Generated IllustrationKey Takeaways
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- A donor heart was kept viable for 12 hours outside the body, setting a new European record.
- The procedure utilized a revolutionary ex vivo perfusion technique.
- Standard cold storage methods typically keep a heart viable for a maximum of four hours.
- The patient who received the heart is recovering well.
By The Numbers
12 hours
Organ viability duration
4 hours
Previous maximum viability
1/3
Reduction in waiting time
Doubled
Transplant volume increase
They Said
"The ability to keep a heart beating outside the body for a longer period of time without damage is an absolute game changer for Swiss transplant medicine."