The INSPIRE International Lung Trial with the Organ Care System Technology (OCS™)

The impact of systemic innovations for transforming transplant systems. Lessons learned from the German lung transplantation system. A qualitative study

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of the systemic innovations approach for transforming transplantation systems. It explores potential leverage points for intervening in the LTx-system as well as possible paths of transformation. We present possible transition pathways giving the example of the German Lung transplantation system that teeters on the brink of collapse due to system failures and organ scarcity and illustrate systemic innovations as core mechanisms for systems change in health systems. Desk research and semi-structured experts interviews provided qualitative data for a deductive-inductive coding and a rigorous qualitative content analysis of the data. Depending on the systemic innovations chosen to achieve systems change, transplant systems follow different transformational paths: from a collapse to a leapfrogging towards a non-human transplantation system. Thus, global health areas like transplantation benefit from analysis on systemic innovations as these support researchers, public policy and regulators by developing transformative strategies in healthcare systems.

Combined liver and lung transplantation with extended normothermic lung preservation in a patient with end-stage emphysema complicated by drug-induced acute liver failure

Isolated lung transplantation (LuTx) and liver transplantation are established treatments for irreversible lung and liver failure. Combined liver and lung transplantation (cLiLuTx) is a less common, but approved therapy of combined organ failure, mostly applied in patients suffering from progressive cystic fibrosis and advanced liver disease. We report a patient who was listed for LuTx due to end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and who developed drug-induced acute hepatic failure. The only therapeutic option was hyper-urgent cLiLuTx. To correct the poor coagulation in order to reduce the per-operative risk of bleeding, the liver was transplanted first. In anticipation of the longer lung preservation time, cold flushed lungs were preserved on a portable lung perfusion device for ex vivo normothermic perfusion for 11 h 15 min, transplanted sequentially off-pump, and reperfused after a total ex vivo time of 13 h 32 min and 16 h for the first and second lung, respectively. Ten months later, the patient is doing well and no rejection occurred. Normothermic ex vivo lung perfusion may help to prolong preservation time, facilitating long-distance transport and combined organ transplantation.