Project Overview

Background:
Transplant surgeons cool organs to near-freezing levels after procurement, but before transplantation in order to decrease rates of cellular metabolism. Even as much as several minutes of “warm time” can harm the organ. Thus, cooling organs is a major concern.

A routine part of transplant surgery is referred to as the “backbench” procedure. During this time (usually 30 min to 1.5 hours) the organs are prepared for transplantation. On the backbench, surgeons may reconstruct blood vessels, remove unnecessary soft tissues (such as fat), and identify important anatomy.

Currently, surgeons wait approximately 30 minutes for sterile ice to be prepared in order to prepare the organ on the backbench. The ice is then placed in a bowl. The transplantable organ is then placed in the bowl, where it is kept cold, while the surgeon preforms the necessary tasks.
During this time, the organs are unwieldy and difficult to manipulate, particularly when a surgeon is alone. As the surgeon manipulates the organ, many times the organ gets warmer than intended, in order to perform the necessary procedures. In addition, ice can be difficult to use as it melts quickly and as it may obstruct the surgeon’s view of the organ as the ice can be quite bulky.

Unmet need:
There is an unmet need for a device capable of 1) keeping an organ cold on the backbench, 2) stabilization of the transplantable organ, and 3) avoidance of bowls of ice on the backbench, 4) rapid cooling to avoid waiting 30 minutes for ice to form.

Suggested device parameters:
1) Must fit on a 2ft x 2ft operating room table
2) Must be sterilizable
3) Must allow for rapid cooling
4) Must be reusable
5) Must not interact with the UW solution or the organ result in harm
6) Must allow for easy manipulation or the organ by the operative surgeon

Team Picture

Contact Information

Team Members

• Montserrat Calixto - Team Leader
• Alexandria Craig - Communicator
• Reed Bjork - BSAC
• Linda Yang - BWIG
• Annie Yang - BPAG

Advisor and Client

• Prof. John Webster - Advisor
• Dr. Joseph Scalea - Client

Related Projects

• Spring 2016: Transplant organ coolant management system
• Fall 2015: Transplant organ coolant management system
• Spring 2015: Transplant organ coolant management system