Many transplant recipients must take cyclosporine and other drugs to prevent rejection of their new organs, at a cost of thousands of dollars per year. They are immersed in a standard saline solution, placed in a bag over crushed ice and shipped in an ice chest. Bobby J. O'Dell, a perfusionist in the Health Science Center's surgery department, originated the concept for a portable organ preservation device a decade ago and patented his own version in 1994. Bunegin contributed a substantial amount of reengineering and with O'Dell as lead inventor, ultimately patented a modified version of the same device. Both devices provide simultaneous oxygenation and perfusion of a donor organ, and keep the organ chilled to reduce its metabolic need for oxygen.
Perfusion involves immersing the organ in nutrient-filled fluid.
I n experiments, one of the systems sustained the oxygen requirements of canine hearts for 12 hours. Experiments now under way are trying to maintain canine hearts for 24 hours. Twenty-four hours would be anywhere in the world. The preservation device forms several sealed compartments, including a perfusion chamber and container filled with nutrient fluids that holds the transplant organ. Typically, a fully loaded system weighs under 40 pounds light enough for one person to pick up with one hand and carry.