Apparatus for tissue transport and preservation
Systems and methods of the invention generally relate to prolonging viability of bodily tissue, especially an organ such as a lung, by adjusting pressure as needed to maintain a constant pressure within the organ even during external pressure fluctuations due, for example, to transportation of the organ in an airplane. Gas passing into and out of the organ may be conditioned to prolong tissue viability.
1. A system for storage of an organ, the system comprising:
a transport container;
a pump configured to direct gas through a channel into an airway of a lung;
nested containers configured to be disposed within the transport container, the nested containers configured to contain the lung;
a relief valve configured to release gas from the channel while the pump is directing gas through the channel; and
a lung adapter configured to be in fluid communication with the channel, the channel configured to extend from an exterior of the nested containers to an interior of the nested containers, and the lung adapter operable to form a closed air system with the airway of the lung,
wherein the nested containers are configured to only allow gas to pass from the exterior of the nested containers to the interior of the nested containers through the channel.
2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising eutectic cooling material disposed within the transport container and outside the nested containers, the eutectic cooling material configured to maintain a temperature of the lung.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the airway of the lung is selected from a group consisting of a trachea or bronchus of the lung.
4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more sensors configured to sense a parameter within the system.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the parameter is selected from a group consisting of temperature and pressure.
6. The system of claim 2 , wherein the eutectic cooling material is in-line between the pump and the airway of the lung and operable to cool gas traveling therebetween.
7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a humidifying element in-line between the pump and the airway of the lung and operable to humidify gas traveling therebetween.
8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a compressive sleeve operable to compress the lung.
9. The system of claim 2 , wherein the eutectic cooling material comprises one or more pouches of phase change material (PCM) for surrounding and cooling the transport container.
10. A method for storage of an organ, the method comprising:
providing an organ container comprising:
a pump configured to direct gas through a channel into an airway of a lung;
nested containers;
a relief valve configured to release gas from the channel while the pump is directing gas through the channel; and
a lung adapter configured to be in fluid communication with the channel, the channel configured to extend from an exterior of the nested containers to an interior of the nested containers, and the lung adapter operable to form a closed air system with the airway of the lung, placing the lung in the nested containers;
coupling the airway of the lung to the lung adapter such that gas can only pass from the exterior of the nested containers to the interior of the nested containers through the channel; and
placing the nested containers in the organ container.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising arranging eutectic cooling material within the organ container and outside the nested containers, the eutectic cooling material configured to maintain a temperature of the lung.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the airway of the lung is selected from a group consisting of a trachea or bronchus of the lung.
13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising cooling the gas travelling between the pump and the airway of the lung with an in-line cooling element.
14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising humidifying the gas travelling between the pump and the airway of the lung with an in-line humidifying element.
15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising compressing the lung in a cyclic pattern to provide pulsatile compressive force on the lung by inflating and deflating one or more inflatable cavities in a compressive sleeve using a second pump.
16. The method of claim 11 , wherein arranging the eutectic cooling material within the organ container comprises placing one or more pouches of phase change material (PCM) around the nested containers.