A Guide for TransMedics® Organ Care System for Liver and its Device Description

With each passing day, surgeries which were previously thought to be impossible or highly improbable are gradually becoming manageable. Medical fraternity credit this success to two main factors - the extraordinary pace of the technological advancements that are being introduced in the medical sector and the stunning innovation and research in the medical world. All this has given rise to new type of drugs and medications that help in reducing complications in surgeries and medical procedures like organ transplantations.

Today, doctors can confidently undertake highly risky medical operations like organ transplantations. Take the example of heart transplant or liver transplant. Organ transplant is basically a medical surgical procedure wherein an organ or tissue of an organ is removed from a body and transferred to the recipient’s body so as to replace the damaged or missing organ with a healthy one. Imagine the level of risk undertaken in such surgeries!

It goes without saying that while performing organ transplantations, one of the most important considerations doctors have to take into account is the ‘time’. The liver that is to be transplanted cannot be outside the body for too long as its condition will deteriorate, thereby defeating the whole purpose of the surgery. Organ care system for liver plays an extremely vital role in such a scenario by maintaining liver which is to be transplanted for longer periods of time before the actual surgery; thereby providing the doctors with a crucial time window to perform the operation.

How Organ Care System for Liver Works

Traditionally, organs to be transplanted were preserved using techniques like freezing or flushing the organs with a cold solution. But these techniques allowed the preservation of organs for a maximum period of 27 hours. However, this period is not very sufficient. Organ care systems does away with these traditional techniques and instead opts for a more holistic approach. Organ care system for liver keeps the liver at human body temperature levels and maintains its functioning by perfusing the liver with blood, oxygen, and other vital bodily nutrients, such as bile salts. The device also monitors and regulates the pressure and flow rate of the perfusion.

Device Description of TransMedics® Organ Care System for Liver

The organ care system market for liver is currently dominated by TransMedics® Group, Inc., a US-based medical technology company that specializes in organ transplant therapy. Recently, TransMedics® Organ Care System for Liver received the approval from the USFDA (United States Food and Drug Administration). As a result, the TransMedics® Organ Care System for Liver is now considered highly trustworthy.

The TransMedics® Organ Care System for Liver provides an integrated approach to maintain the liver that is to be transplanted with the help of three crucial components:

1. OCS Liver Console:

The perfusion of blood, oxygen, bodily fluids, and nutrients like bile salts is done by the OCS Liver Console component. It includes a perfusion pump, perfusate warmer, batteries as the power source, and pressure and flow rate regulators and meters. These meters display the vital information and perfusion parameters which help the doctor to adjudge as to when to undertake the transplantation.

2. OCS Liver Perfusion Set:

OCS Liver Perfusion Set is a combination of Liver Perfusion Module and Liver Perfusion Set Accessories. The Liver Perfusion Module is responsible for maintaining the physiologic environment in which the liver is kept and helps in monitoring the liver’s bile production along with other perfusion parameters. Liver Perfusion Set Accessories are nothing but instruments and tools which help in managing the liver perfusate. Both these implements, the, module and the accessories, are sterile and for single use.

3. OCS Liver Bile Salts Set:

As the name suggests, the Bile Salts Set contains important bile salts such as sodium taurocholate. Liver perfusion requires frequent replenishment of the liver with bile salts for which such a salt set is provided by the organ care system itself.

The Bottom Line

Organ care system for liver has completely transformed the way liver transplantations were performed earlier. Today, medical examiners and doctors, with organ care systems around them, feel much more confident about performing these complex surgical procedures successfully. The level of ingenuity involved in these systems has paved the way for treating various diseases like liver cancer which were previously considered terminal. However, capacity building of medical professionals for handling these devices and ramping up the manufacturing of these devices is equally important. For that, leading players in the medical technology industry should come forward and invest in the research and development of such systems.

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.