Heart transplants is a surgical transplant performed on patients with heart failure or severe artery disease. The procedure consist of taking a functioning heart from a recently deceased organ donor and implanting it into the patient. Approximately 3,500 heart transplants are performed every year in the world. It is not considered to be a cure but a life-saving treatment to improve the life of the patients for about 15 years.

This technology is designed by a company called Transmedics to keep hearts working after the donor’s death. It supplies the heart with oxygen, blood, and nutrients and then it can be surgically implanted in another patient.

Usually the heart is cooled down while still inside the deceased-patient. Cold temperatures slow down the heart’s metabolism and gives time to surgeons to transfer it before its cells start to break down. The « heart-in-a-box«  could be a solution for preparing hearts for transplantation by keeping the heart alive automatically.

Watch the video to see how it works.