Apparatus and method for maintaining and/or restoring viability of organs

• Main Authors: FRASER RICHARD, BRASSIL JOHN, OWEN DONALD R, HARRIS STANLEY, BURROUGHS ANDREW, ISAACS DICKON, SCHEIN DOUGLAS, KRAVITZ DAVID C, BROCKBANK KELVIN G. M, STEIBEL DENNIS
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 21.05.2013
• Subjects: AGRICULTURE; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; BIOCIDES, e.g. AS DISINFECTANTS, AS PESTICIDES, AS HERBICIDES; CHEMISTRY; ENZYMOLOGY; FISHING; FORESTRY; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HUNTING; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; PEST REPELLANTS OR ATTRACTANTS; PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS; PRESERVATION OF BODIES OF HUMANS OR ANIMALS OR PLANTS OR PARTSTHEREOF; SPIRITS; TRAPPING; VINEGAR; WINE

An organ perfusion apparatus and method monitor, sustain and/or restore viability of organs and preserve organs for storage and/or transport. Other apparatus include an organ transporter, an organ cassette and an organ diagnostic device. In perfusion, organ perfusion pressure is preferably controlled in response to a sensor disposed in an end of tubing placed in the organ, by a pneumatically pressurized medical fluid reservoir, providing perfusion pressure fine tuning, overpressurization prevention and emergency flow cut-off. In the hypothermic mode, the organ is perfused with a medical fluid, preferably a simple crystalloid solution containing antioxidants, intermittently or in slow continuous flow. The medical fluid may be fed into the organ from an intermediary tank having a low pressure head to avoid organ overpressurization. Viability of the organ may be automatically monitored, preferably by monitoring characteristics of the medical fluid perfusate. The perfusion process can be automatically controlled using a control program.