The donor organs are used for therapeutic purposes, but their condition deteriorates quickly once they are explanted from the body. For years, scientists have used special ice packs to keep the organs cold till it has been transplanted into a recipient's body. A new study found that storing donor lungs at a slightly warmer temperature at 10 degrees rather than 4 degrees Celsius can make them viable for six times more as compared to traditional preservation methods for transplants.

“The finding may eventually change the practice and help erase some of the limitations that make it difficult for patients to receive successful and timely lung transplants,” Marcelo Cypel, surgical director of the transplant program at University Health Network. Toronto General Hospital, where Cypel works, has now performed 40 such transplants as part of a clinical trial with lungs stored for up to 18 hours at 10 degrees Celsius which had shown excellent results.

In 1980s, studies out of Japan and Toronto made similar arguments, to no benefit, but now the idea is gaining new attention around the world.