“ chalk is very spoiled for organ store . It is very proficient tocool your beer in the summer , but it has no place in Hammond organ transplant , ” Lisa Anderson , chief executive officer ofParagonix Technologiesjoked during an otherwise serious conversation that began as a flying schmoose about a Modern app , but ended up as an incredible fib about how an make - but - flawed manner of transfer donated organs to a recipient has been turned on its head .
What does Paragonix do?
“ For about 50 years , transplanted reed organ have been motivate around on ice , ” Anderson explain . “ They were put in a uninventive plastic grip and localize into an trash chest fill with crushed trash . But this is too cold for organ . It ’s freezing . If you put a spell of nitty-gritty in the freezer it gets Deepfreeze burn mark , which hurt tissue and organs . Just because clinicians have been doing this for 50 year , does n’t mean it was the right thing to do . ”
Paragonix recognized organ entrepot temperature could n’t betoocold , and they were hang in more efficaciously between four - and - eight degree celsius . It now produces a mountain chain of high - tech entrepot devices that cool , maintain , and even cut across the “ health ” of the organ it contains , along with a passe-partout app to simplify , streamline , and speed up the important flow of information throughout its journey .
The FDA - approved gimmick , which are quite different to the ones you ’d use to keep drinks cold at a barbecue , are made of a single - usance , biodegradable froth with Paragonix ’s SherpaCool phase - change engineering science to maintain a steady thermic environment inside . A stamp battery keeps the exhibit go , but the chilling is inactive , so if the battery runs out for some understanding , the contents will not be affected .
The cooler is only the start
Depending on the Hammond organ being transported , the Paragonix ice chest perform other functions too , as Anderson explained :
“ Some of our gimmick focalize purely on temperature ascendancy , but some have other functionalities . For kidneys it ’s really perfusing [ intend a liquid is circulating through an organ ] the kidney during tape drive with a alimental rich solution , and we can appropriate data to show how the organ is responding to it . This has been correlated to function after transplant , and we can give the clinician an indication of the wellness of that pipe organ on arrival . Lungs are transported in an inflated state and we can traverse the inflation pressing during ecstasy , another important parameter for clinicians . ”
Anderson explained much of tracking datum plainly did n’t exist for organs in transportation before , and could only be leave by machines and then verbally communicated to clinicians . Understanding the term of the harmonium , and keeping people informed during its journey , is where the app comes in .
“ A transplantation subprogram involves many , many people , ” Anderson continue . “ The squad taking care of the recipient has to be in the know , but so does the donor infirmary . Before , what happened was hundreds of telephone call between people were constantly take post , change chemical selective information , information about their location , info about what they were doing , and what they were experiencing . In the Paragonix peregrine app , everybody can see what is happening on the journeying , whether contribution has taken position , whether the Hammond organ has been recovered , and where the organ is . It has insights , remote monitoring , and literal - time information so everyone knows what ’s occur . ”
What it all means
Putting an electronic organ in a handbag take with chalk and communication over over the telephone dead sounds like a very out-of-date way of doing things . Anderson ’s exuberance was obvious during our conversation , but at its most infectious when she started explain how Paragonix ’s technology was saving , and thenextendingpeople ’s lives .
“ From inception to escort we ’ve transported over 10,000 electric organ and the app was has been used in over 6,000 cases , ” she told Digital Trends . “ We ’re follow closely to 5,000 patient role and what we have show is if you put an organ in a Paragonix twist you ’re operate to significantly reduce , by over 50 % , the occurrence of wicked complication after transplant . Over four years we ’ve been capable to show there are more patients alive because of our technology than with water ice , and a reduction in [ heart transplantation ] deathrate by 45 % . We ’re the only ship’s company that not only has gimmick for all five transplant Hammond organ , but also for paediatric transplanting . No other fellowship has paediatric exercise . ”
It ’s hard not to be impressed and excited about engineering with such meaningful benefits , but Paragonix has also whole change the logistics of getting an pipe organ to the good person , and dramatically reduce the cost involved too .
We ’ve transported over 10,000 organs and the app was has been used in over 6,000 compositor’s case ,
“ Before the debut of advanced preservation technology such as ours , organ had to be source within about 290 square international nautical mile , ” Anderson secern me . “ This was a moderately narrow geographic area , peculiarly if you are on the coast and half of your dominion was in the sea . We have been able-bodied to labor this geographic distance up to 2,300 miles . For liver , lung , and ticker we ’ve almost opened up the full U.S .. ”
Because organs can be keep outside the body for longer , shipping pick have open up too . Anderson say due to previous time restraint , many organ traveled by individual charter flights costing up to $ 80,000 . Now , they can travel on a commercial-grade airline business for a fraction of the cost . In turn , all this helps clinicians design surgeries at near times , rather than in the midriff of the night or at the last minute .
Standard of care
take heed how transformative Paragonix ’s storage equipment and app can be , the amount it ’s being used in the medical industry will come as no surprisal . Anderson provide more telling figures :
“ We currently transport and protect over 50 % of heart in the U.S. that are transplanted , over 50 % of lung , and about 10 per centum of liver right now . We only launched liver transfer 12 months ago . Our machine has become standard of aid in organ preservation , at least for heart and lung , and our nomadic app has become standard of care as well . ”
Transplant center even publicize they employ Paragonix equipment and app , allowing patient role to make an informed choice . If it was me get a donate organ , after hearing about what Paragonix offers , I ’d for sure want it to be used .
When I was first provide the probability to speak to Anderson , it was mostly about the ingenious app , and even when I accepted I had no estimate it was just one part of an astonishing , life - saving organization drive by mobile technology making a real difference to masses ’s lives .
As our conversation came to a close we had mostly talked about the organ , its journey , the receiver and of form , the applied science , but Anderson had a poignant reminder about the other person involved , and how important they are to the process and to Paragonix itself .
“ When we conceptualize the concept for Paragonix , our devices , and the app , we always thought abouttwopatients . We think about the recipient that is going to have an improved outcome with our technology , but mayhap more importantly , we also suppose about the donor patient role who selflessly go forth that gift , and how we have farthermost responsibility to protect it for somebody else to use . ”
