Surgeons hope a new machine that keeps lungs alive outside the body could “change” the number of people getting transplants.

The success at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire comes after it became the first hospital in the UK to trial the use of the XPS system.

The machine, nicknamed “Lungs in a Box”, mimics the human body and surgeon Marius Berman said it could increase the number of transplants by 30%.

Daniel Evans-Smith, a 49-year-old events manager from Northampton, was the first person to receive a double lung transplant using the system on the NHS and said he was “extremely grateful”.

About 81% of lungs are rejected for transplant. Because they are swollen or their condition is bad.

The machine improves the health of the organs by using a ventilator to inflate and deflate the lungs. A fluid containing nutrients and oxygen is also pumped through them.

This technique is called ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP). This means that donated lungs that are considered “borderline” for use can be repaired and used rather than discarded.

The organs are kept at body temperature for six hours.

The one-year pilot is funded by NHS England and the Royal Papworth Charity.

This machine had previously been used only in UK research trials.

Professor Derek Manns, NHS medical director of blood and transplant, said there was “growing evidence” that the technology could “enable more transplants by improving organ function”.

despite Change in law on organ donation consent In 2019, the hospital said there was a shortage of donated lungs, so the machine was making the most of the available lungs.

Professor Manas said more than 200 people were waiting for lung transplants, which is “significantly” more than the number of suitable donor organs.

Having the lungs “live” outside the body also allows surgeons to test the organs, meaning transplants have a better chance of success.

Mr Evans-Smith quit smoking 12 years ago but developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung condition that causes difficulty breathing.

He suffered five lung collapses and spent a total of six months in the hospital before receiving a transplant.

He was about to be discharged when the nurses woke him up and told him that donor lungs had been found.

The organs were placed on ice and transported to Cambridge, where they were placed in a machine to be “reconditioned” before transplantation.

Marius Berman, surgical head of transplant at Royal Papworth Hospital, said he was “very proud to be the first UK hospital to use this machine” in addition to clinical trials.

Other technology exists, but surgeons said the simplicity of the machine allows people to train quickly and some options require the surgical team to travel to the donor, which can be costly.

He said 30% of people on the lung transplant list died and Mr Evans-Smith had a “very small window of opportunity”.

“Daniel would not be with us today without the lung transplant, and we could not perform lung transplants without the EVLP,” he said.

Royal Papworth Hospital performs more lung transplants than any other center in the UK, with 41 completed last year.

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