For the first time, a heart transplant has been successfully performed after transport of a donor heart across the Atlantic Ocean. The donor was a 48 year old male, located in the French West Indies. The heart was transported to Paris in the cabin of a commercial airline flight. Preservation (12 h 6 min) and perfusion (10 h 32 min) was uneventful, despite severe turbulence. The recipient was a man aged 70 years, with terminal ischaemic cardiomyopathy and chronic renal insufficiency. After transplantation, the heart immediately had normal biventricular function without any graft dysfunction. The cardiac index was 3·4 L/ min per m² with only a low dose of inotropic support. The patient was extubated 10 h after the surgery, had 2 days of continuous renal replacement therapy, and was weaned off inotropic support on day 5. The recipient was discharged 30 days after surgery.
“This transplant marks the first instance of a donated heart being flown across the Atlantic, covering a distance of 6750 km from the French West Indies to Paris, a feat previously unimaginable in organ transplantation.”
Lebreton and Leprince, 2024
The Lancet/ 2024 / doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00258-7
The XVIVO Heart Technology is not regulatory approved on any market and its safety and efficacy has not been established.
The XVIVO Heart Technology is not commercially available.
