Heart in a Box, a revolutionary machine that could increase the number of heart transplants carried out at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) by up to 50% has arrived at the hospital following a successful fundraising campaign.
The machine keeps a retrieved heart alive outside of the body, by pumping blood around it, and irrigating it ready for transplantation. This radically increases the amount of time that surgeons have to perform the transplant, compared with the more traditional method of storing the heart in ice.
Heart in a Box is now ready and waiting for its first use at QEHB, following the £265,000 campaign by QEHB Charity to raise funds for the machine. Heart Research UK generously donated an incredible £132,500 towards the Heart in a Box campaign, with the rest of the money being raised by QEHB Charity’s fantastic supporters.
The arrival of Heart in a Box was marked with a special event, put on by QEHB Charity and Heart Research UK, to thank some of the inspirational fundraisers who helped to raise money for this important cause. Justine Davy, Head of Fundraising for QEHB Charity said: “I am immensely proud of all of the hard work and dedication of our fundraisers who have helped to bring Heart in a Box to the hospital. I am delighted that the machine is now at the hospital, ready to help the incredible heart team to save more lives than ever before. Huge thanks go to Heart Research UK in the West Midlands, and all of their supporters for their wonderful donation that helped make the campaign such a huge success.”
John Lloyd, Regional Executive at Heart Research UK in the Midlands, said: “The Organ Care System has the potential to allow surgeons to carry out 50% more heart transplants every year. This new technology will increase the number of suitable organs and the chance of survival for so many patients.
“Heart Research UK has always been committed to make surgery safer, and ‘heart in a box’ will help patients live healthier, happier and longer lives in the Midlands and nationwide.”
Present at the event was Sarah Codling, 31 year old mother of one from Woodgate Valley, who received a heart transplant at QEHB in 2015. Since her heart transplant, Sarah has worked tirelessly to fundraise for heart patients at the hospital, and was delighted that heart in a box is now at the hospital. Sarah said: “Heart in a Box is an astonishing piece of technology, I am really proud to have played my part in helping to fundraise for it. Since my heart transplant, I’ve wanted to give something back to the amazing hospital that saved my life. I know that Heart in a Box will completely change the way that heart transplants are carried out at QEHB, and the heart team will be able to change even more lives in the future.”
