Machine that keeps lungs alive outside the body set for NHS use

A machine that keeps donated lungs alive outside of the body is set for use on the NHS, offering hope for the 170 people waiting for a new lung.The move by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) will give organs that would otherwise be discarded a chance to be transplanted.According to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), only 23% of all lungs that meet suitability criteria for transplants are used.

The machine warms donated lungs to body temperature and pumps a fluid through them that mimics blood plasma.It also ventilates them to mimic normal breathing.The machine allows transplant teams to treat infection, drain excess fluid, reinflate collapsed areas and monitor how the lungs are functioning.

There are around 170 people – including six children – waiting for a new lung in the UK.Draft guidance from Nice has recommended that the machine is used for four years to generate evidence on its benefits and costs.The NHS spending watchdog estimates that it could help rescue four in five donated lungs that are currently unused, benefiting hundreds of patients.

Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, healthtech programme director at Nice, said: “Every donated lung is a precious gift, and right now too many of them never reach a patient who needs them.“This technology has the potential to change that, giving transplant teams the time and information they need to make the most of organs that would otherwise go unused.”People waiting for lung transplants told Nice they feared leaving home in case they picked up infections.

Some had stopped work or education and relied on family members for care.open image in galleryPeople waiting for lung transplants fear leaving home in case they picked up infections (Getty/iStock)NHSBT estimates that most adults wait for a suitable lung for well over a year.Between April 2020 and March 2022, around one in five (21%) registered as urgent and 14% registered as non-urgent died within one year of joining the list before a suitable lung became available.

Dr Chalkidou said: “We know that people waiting for a lung transplant face an incredibly difficult and uncertain time.“That is why we believe it is right to make this technology available to NHS patients now, while we work to build the stronger evidence base that will help us fully understand its long-term benefits and value for money.“Our recommendation supports the NHS’s wider ambition to standardise access to this technology across the country, so that where a patient is treated no longer determines whether they can benefit from a transplant.”

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