Artificial lung to help patients waiting for organ donation

Artificial lungs might be able to bridge the waiting time for an organ donation. Image source: Shutterstock (#417318079)

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh built an artificial lung that is compact enough to increase relief and mobility for patients with lung failures considerably. As there are a lot more people that need lung transplants than there are lung donations available, patients have to find other ways to stay active during the waiting period as movement is vital for an optimal outcome for the eventual operation. To resolve the challenge of reducing the frequency of blood clotting within the device, the team worked with a group from McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine.

The next steps will be to make the lung operative without an oxygen tank, and then to start testing on humans instead of sheep.

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