Newcastle woman's donor heart transported by new method

Sanjana was told she would need a heart transplant after being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy

A woman has received a donor heart by a new method that uses a portable machine which allows it to function better after surgery.

Sanjana Kochhar, 29, had her transplant at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital - one of three UK sites testing a Heartbox.

It sees the donor organ connected to a special pump delivering oxygen and nutrients while it is in transit.

Surgeon Stephen Clark said he hoped it would help organs to be stored longer and work better after the operation.

Cardiothoracic surgeon Stephen Clark says the machine allows organs "to function better and be able to be stored for longer"

Prof Clark said: "The logistics of transporting a heart within a short timeframe are incredibly complex and unfortunately, in some cases, donor hearts do not function well after transplantation.

"This new machine allows us to explore an entirely new method of heart preservation where the heart is kept still, cool and perfused with an oxygenated solution mixed with blood throughout its journey."

He added the method would help a heart "to function better and be able to be stored for longer" than what is currently possible.

Usually, donor hearts are preserved during transport by being placed in a cold solution and stored in an icebox.

That method preserves a heart for less than four hours, so surgery has to be done within a tight timeframe.

Ms Kochhar, who is from Newcastle but now lives in Liverpool, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and placed on the urgent transplant list last autumn after suffering multiple organ failure.

While waiting for her surgery, which happened towards the end of 2022, she signed up to be part of the trial for the machine to be used to transport the donor heart.

Since her operation Sanjana said she is grateful for her "second chance" and has been able to go cycling and walking

She said: "Despite having had a major operation, I woke up feeling amazing and just had this feeling that I'd been part of something special.

"I'm eternally grateful for the second chance I've been given thanks to the kindness of someone donating their heart."

She added she has gone from "being bedbound and unable to dress myself to living life again".

Newcastle's Institute of Transplantation is one of three UK sites taking part in the clinical trial of the XVIVO Heartbox.

In total 15 hospital sites across Europe are involved in the research.