Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center First in Texas to Perform Breathing Lung Transplant Using the Organ Care System Lung Technology

Houston, Texas (April 4, 2018) – Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center (Baylor St. Luke’s) is the first hospital in Texas to perform a breathing lung transplant using the Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP) procedure with Organ Care System Lung (OCS Lung) technology. This technology is designed to keep donor lungs functioning and "breathing" in human-like conditions from the time of the donor procedure all the way to the transplant surgery.

"This transplant is significant for Baylor St. Luke's. The groundbreaking research and hard work behind this surgery shows our dedication to offering the highest levels of care and delivering the most effective treatment options for our patients," said Gay Nord, market president, Baylor St. Luke’s.

Led by Dr. Gabriel Loor, surgical director of the lung transplant program at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center and director of lung transplantation in the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, the transplant was performed using the newest generation of EVLP platforms, Transmedics Organ Care System (OCS), a portable device that maintains the organ in its own physiologic state with warm blood perfusion, ventilation and a sophisticated monitoring system to continually assess the organ in flight. In this case, the donated lungs were flown in to Houston from the Midwest. The device is the only portable EVLP system in the world and the only one that has undergone a positive FDA panel review in the U.S. as well as two rigorous international clinical trials. The OCS Lung System was officially approved by the FDA on March 23.

The surgery was performed as part of the EXPAND II OCS trial, for which Baylor St. Luke's is a study site, testing the outcomes of transplanted donor lungs that are transported, preserved, optimized and monitored on a portable OCS device.

"The surgery was a success and the transplanted lungs will vastly improve this patient's quality of life," said Dr. Loor. "There are over 100,000 people waiting for life-saving organ donations at any given time in the U.S. Advances in this technology are incredibly exciting for the future of organ transplantation at Baylor St. Luke's and the Texas Medical Center."

Dr. Loor is the International Principal Investigator for the largest study in the U.S. evaluating the ability to increase the number of usable donor lungs using the OCS technology. He is exploring ways to significantly expand the amount of time an organ can be out of the body prior to transplant, which expands the available donor pool and opens more opportunities for patients waiting for life-saving organ donations, as time and location are no longer limiting factors.

The lung transplant program at Baylor St. Luke's in Houston's renowned Texas Medical Center continually strives to meet the needs of patients through innovative breakthrough research and cutting-edge technology, and is committed to compassionate quality healthcare that improves and saves lives.

###

About Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center
Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center is an 881-bed quaternary care hospital that is a joint venture between Baylor College of Medicine and St. Luke’s Health. Located in the Texas Medical Center, the hospital is the home of the Texas Heart® Institute, a world-class cardiovascular research and education institution founded in 1962 by Denton A. Cooley, MD—consistently ranked as one of the nation’s best in Cardiovascular Services & Heart Surgery. The hospital was the first facility in Texas and the Southwest designated a Magnet® hospital for Nursing Excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, receiving the award four consecutive times. Baylor St. Luke’s also has three community emergency centers offering adult and pediatric care for the Greater Houston area.

About the CHI Texas Division
The CHI Texas Division, a member of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), is comprised of three markets?CHI St. Luke’s Health (St. Luke’s) is home of the Texas Heart® Institute (THI), eight hospitals, eight emergency centers, Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Radiation & CyberKnife® Center, and numerous Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Group locations throughout Greater Houston; St. Luke’s Health Memorial (three hospitals and a long-term acute care facility in East Texas); and St. Joseph Health (five hospitals and several St. Joseph Medical Group locations across Brazos Valley). In addition, St. Luke’s is a part of a joint venture agreement with Baylor College of Medicine®, which encompasses Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, the flagship facility and academic medical center of St. Luke’s, in the Texas Medical Center. Together, St. Luke’s, THI, and Baylor College of Medicine are transforming healthcare delivery with a mission to usher in a new era of healthcare to create healthier communities. For more information, visit CHITX.org.

About Catholic Health Initiatives
St. Luke’s Health is a part of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), one of the nation’s largest health systems. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, CHI operates in 17 states and comprises 100 hospitals, including three academic health centers and major teaching hospitals; 30 critical-access facilities; community health-services organizations; accredited nursing colleges; home-health agencies; and other facilities and services that span the inpatient and outpatient continuum of care. Learn more at CatholicHealthInitiatives.org.