Medicine makes major strides every day, including right here in Detroit.
Recently, Henry Ford Hospital’s Dr. Kyle Miletic, along with his team, performed Michigan’s first “beating heart” transplant.
The process means that, in the future, patients can look forward to a quicker recovery post-transplant, as well as better access to donor hearts when one is needed.
The process involves some cutting-edge technology as well as a lot of promise for the future.
The way things were, and continue to be -- for now
For as long has organs have traveled for transplant, they’ve been placed on ice or a cooling solution that preserves the organ until it arrives at the recipient’s hospital. At that time, the organ is warmed, inserted and connected to the recipient, and begins to function again.
In the case of a heart transplant, that involves “shocking” it back into rhythm. However, each time the heart is stopped, it sustains some damage. Medical professionals refer to this as “ischemic time.”
When doctors reduce the number of times the heart stops and the number of minutes it’s not beating, that translates to a healthier recipient -- but how?
Keeping the beat
The TransMedics Organ Care System-Heart is known as the “pump” among health care professionals. This machine -- about the size of a dishwasher -- warms the donor heart to nearly body temperature, which allows it to live outside of a human body. While on the machine, the heart continues to receive nourishment and pump blood while it’s in transit, right up until it’s transplanted into the recipient.
The “pump” is also equipped to carefully monitor the heart and gives doctors all the information they need about its condition. It even allows them to treat the heart and make it healthier before it gets to its destination.
Until “beating heart” transplants, the heart had to stop twice: once when the donor passed away and once before inserting it into the recipient. With a “beating heart” transplant, the heart only stops once. After it’s connected to the pump, it continues to beat, nonstop, even as it is inserted into the recipient’s chest and connected to their circulatory system.
Working with a moving, beating heart during a transplant is more challenging for a surgeon. However, Miletic said the challenge is worth it because the procedure not only reduces the need for post-surgical machine support but also offers a better chance at long-term health for the recipient.
While the beating heart transplant is still rare, Henry Ford Health performed Michigan’s first and second in late 2024. The outlook for transplant patients is positive as leading surgeons around the country continue to develop and further perfect this procedure.
For more on the transplant program at Henry Ford Health, visit HenryFord.com/transplant.
