With every beat of my heart.

Every now and again, someone does something that reminds me why science is so fantastic. This time it relates to heart transplants. Organ transplanting is a messy business, both literally and procedurally. Organs are wasted by spending too much time waiting for a new body, many patients die still on the list, perfect donors die without signing up to the register... etc etc. But now scientists have figured out a way to cut the wastage of organs in transit by a lot.

If you want to move a heart around, the traditional way is to keep it on ice (unless you're a James Bond baddie in which case it's ice and diamonds). Donor hearts are zapped with potassium to stop them beating, then have 4-6 hours packed in ice to make it to the new body. This time-window is pretty small, and even if the heart gets from A to B on time, it will still have begun to deteriorate in its icy suspended animation state. But this new organ care system keeps the heart warm and beating blood while en route. It's got longer to get to where it's going an it arrives in better condition. Winners all round.

Pic and story via BBC News. And there's even a video of the heart beating away in its plastic bag, which is a bit creepy but also pretty spectacular. WARNING - It's also pretty extreme. Not for the faint hearted one might say...

Comments

[MT]

Reminds me of something I read somewhere
http://www.inkycircus.com/jargon/2006/04/science_newsfla_7.html

[sara]

That is just plain cool. Wow.

[Katie]

Did you watch the vid? Yukky but worth it for the wow factor.

[boat build sail toy]

I've just been letting everything wash over me recently. So it goes. What can I say?

[beer drinking dog]

I haven't been up to much today. What can I say? I can't be bothered with anything lately. I just don't have anything to say these days, but eh. I don't care.

[antonio flower in san shop]

My mind is like a void, not that it matters. I've more or less been doing nothing to speak of. I've just been sitting around not getting anything done, but so it goes. Not much on my mind worth mentioning. I've just been letting everything happen without me lately, but it's not important.