Freeze Dried Heart Valve Anyone?

There is a vast array of different issues when it comes to transplanting any organ, regardless of how important that organ might be to the body. There’s the issue of story the transplant organ somewhere cool and then transplanting it to the patient in need before it degrades and becomes unusable, there’s the complex procedure required to actually implant the organ and then there’s the issue of the body potentially rejecting the transplanted organ after all of that. The fact is, it’s a tricky business and though we’re pretty good at it these days, it still holds its own risks.

The most complex of these transplantable organs is the heart. It’s a vastly important organ and taking out the original and replacing it with a transplanted organ takes all kinds of specialist equipment and training. Luckily, most heart issues are caused by a specific part of the heart rather than a full on failure and it’s often possible just to replace that part.

In this case it’s the valves that we’re focussing on. Scientists have discovered that by freeze drying heart valves and then removing all tissue and leaving nothing but the cartilage-like scaffold, they can store the valves for late use. The scaffolds can be used as a base for the later creation of artificial valves and with the new technique they can be stored for much longer and as such they’ve got a much longer shelf life.

It’s hoped that these advances in the method of storage for transplantable components will continue to advance in a similar way and eventually we may be able to store organs for much longer and make sure they get to the patients that need them in much better shape.