Heart in a box allows doctors to expand organ donor pool [Video]

CLEVELAND — University Hospitals is finding new ways to expand the donor pool.

According to doctors, there’s a serious disconnect when it comes to the number of patients in need of organ donation and available donors.

“There’s only about 2,500 to 3,000 heart transplants that happen in the United States per year and yet there are probably over 100,000 people with advanced heart failure who would benefit from heart transplantation,” said Director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Center at UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, Dr. Eiran Gorodeski.

In August of 2023, University Hospitals used ex vivo organ translation for the very first time.

“We can put the heart in a specifically designed box, it’s called ex vivo perfusion, which is essentially providing the heart with oxygen, blood and nutrients, allow …