Medical Category Winner

XVIVO Organ Perfusion System

Chris Jaynes, Tom Taccini, and Tim Klug,
XVIVO Perfusion,
Englewood, CO

In the United States, only 15% of available donor lungs are transplanted into critical recipients due to the associated damage to the organs from the traumatic death event. The XVIVO Perfusion System (XPS) is a mobile intensive care unit that can repair damaged organs ex vivo (out of the donor’s body) for successful transplantation into a waiting recipient.

The XPS includes a centrifugal cardiac bypass pump, fluid heater/cooler unit, inline fiber-optic gas analyzer (to determine continuous pH, pCO₂ and pO₂), and an ICU ventilator. It safely perfuses a blood substitute throughout the entire organ in a carefully controlled environment, which allows the damaged organ to effectively repair itself over time. In the near future, the technique can be extended to additional donor organs, including the liver, heart, and kidney. By creating a safe, isolated environment for organ perfusion, it is possible to imagine using the XPS device to perfuse diseased organs (from cancer, cystic fibrosis, etc.), treating them with high-dose chemotherapy, gene therapy, and eventually stem cells. In such an isolated environment, there would be no harmful side effects to the patient from these aggressive therapies.

“Without the support of others outside our company, our device would not have made it to the US clinical trials in hopes for FDA marketing clearance soon so that we can significantly decrease the list of recipients waiting for lifesaving lung transplants.”

Transplant hospitals will purchase the XPS for use in their operating rooms. The organ will be transported to the hospital using the current cost-effective cold storage transport methods. Once it arrives at the hospital, the transplant team will connect the organ to the XPS and gradually warm it up to body temperature, allowing the organ to operate at full metabolism and repair itself as if it were still in the body. An additional advantage of this procedure is that it dramatically increases the time the organ remains viable, from six hours (cold transport only) to more than 20 hours (combined cold, XPS warm, and more cold), allowing more time to find better-matched recipients and greatly increasing successful outcomes.

With the XPS machine and the XVIVO technique, the U.S. organ waiting list will decrease from the currently 110,000 patients to a more manageable waiting list, eventually providing organs to all waiting recipients.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/1468 .

Honorable Mentions

X-Fingers Functional Artificial Fingers

Daniel Didrick,
Naples, FL

X-Fingers enable finger amputees to control the move ment of each replaced phalange. The devices move as quickly as real fingers, restoring considerable strength and dexterity. The devices are body-powered and no batteries or motors are needed, enabling uninterrupted use. The devices replace 1 to 10 missing fingers lost at any length. No surgery is needed; they can be applied and removed like a glove. Once applied, a cosmetic cover fits over the assembly for added realism.

While robotic-like artificial fingers move on prosthetic limbs, they are attached to an artificial hand. Therefore, if someone loses one or several fingers, but still has their palm intact, an artificial hand cannot be used. X-Fingers replace a portion of any missing finger or fingers in their entirety.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/1287 .

Micro-Plasma Surgical Scalpel

Dan Marantz,
Port Washington, NY

The Micro-Plasma Surgical Scalpel (MPSS) is a gas thermal plasma surgical scalpel that derives its cutting power from the principles of plasma physics in such a manner as to permit relatively bloodless surgery. The MPSS utilizes a stream of a constricted ionized gas discharge from a submillimeter-diameter constricting orifice at or near sonic velocity, enabling tissue parting while causing minimal damage.

The MPSS generates a small, hot gas jet that can simultaneously cut tissue and cauterize blood vessels. The device employs the use of a direct current (DC) constant-currenttype pulse-width modulated power supply to provide the energy to the plasma. A water recirculating cooling system removes excess heat.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/1650 .