fbpx

Human Progress Logo Human Progress

01 / 05
Heart Preservation Technique Increases Transplant Organ Pool

Vanderbilt Health | Health Systems

Heart Preservation Technique Increases Transplant Organ Pool

“Vanderbilt Health has pioneered a safe and effective technique for recovering hearts for heart transplantation, according to a new study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The technique, termed REUP (rapid recovery with extended ultraoxygenated preservation), avoids traditional methods that reanimate the heart within or outside the donor’s body. It consists of using oxygenated blood and del Nido cardioplegia solution as a flush for more than 10 to 12 minutes with a newly recovered donor heart. This is a follow-up study after Vanderbilt Health researchers published their initial series in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Vanderbilt Health researchers looked at 24 adult patients who received lifesaving transplants of DCD (donation after cardiac death) hearts recovered with REUP. Of those, only one developed severe primary graft dysfunction requiring temporary extracorporeal life support and significant acute cellular rejection after transplant.

The study showed REUP resulted in good outcomes preserving hearts for up to eight hours, including in older donors and without concern for geographical limitations to get these hearts, broadening the pool of available organs to people waiting for a lifesaving heart transplant.

Using the REUP technique did not prevent recovering other organs, the study also found.”

From Vanderbilt Health.

Medical Xpress | Vaccination

mRNA-1010 Superior to Standard-Dose Vaccine for Preventing Flu

“For adults aged 50 years or older, an investigational messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine (mRNA-1010) is superior to standard-dose licensed vaccines for preventing influenza-like illness, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine…

Overall, 20,350 participants received mRNA-1010 and 20,353 received the standard-dose comparator. The researchers found that 2.0% and 2.8% of the recipients of mRNA-1010 and the standard-dose comparator, respectively, had RT-PCR-confirmed, protocol-defined influenza-like illness, corresponding to a relative vaccine efficacy of 26.6% and meeting the criteria for noninferiority, superiority, and higher-level superiority. Solicited adverse reactions occurred more often with mRNA-1010 than the standard-dose comparator; they were mainly mild-to-moderate and transient. Overall, 2.2% and 1.9% of recipients of mRNA-1010 and the standard-dose comparator, respectively, had serious adverse events.”

From Medical Xpress.

Science | Health Systems

AI Is Starting to Beat Doctors at Making Correct Diagnoses

“If you walk into an emergency room (ER) in 10 years, you’ll encounter a new type of caregiver: an artificial intelligence (AI) system designed to get you a diagnosis faster and help your care team make more informed decisions. While you sit in the waiting room, you’ll be hooked up to a blood pressure cuff that’s constantly and autonomously monitored. All the while, an AI agent will be listening in while you and your doctor talk about your symptoms, ready to flag any mistakes your physician makes or suggest next steps.

This vision of AI-assisted emergency health care may soon be reality. In a new study, researchers show that a type of AI known as a large language model (LLM) often outperformed physicians at diagnosing complex and potentially life-threatening conditions, including decreased blood flow to the heart, even in the fast-moving stages of real ER care when information is limited, they report today in Science. In early ER cases, the model identified the correct or a very close diagnosis in about 67% of cases, compared with roughly 50% to 55% for physicians. And the technology is only getting better.”

From Science.

The Guardian | Health Systems

First Malaria Drug for Babies Is Approved in Major Milestone

“The first malaria treatment for babies has been approved by the World Health Organization, opening the door to widespread use around the globe.

In parts of Africa, up to 18% of children under six months will be infected with malaria, but there has historically been no safe treatment for the smallest of them. There were 610,000 deaths from malaria in 2024, about three quarters of which were under-fives in Africa…

Medical leaders hope that Coartem Baby, which can be used to treat infants as small as 2kg (4.4lb), will fill the treatment gap. The drug comes as sweet cherry-flavoured tablets that can be dissolved into liquids, including breast milk…

Coartem Baby now has WHO prequalification, which indicates it meets international standards of quality, safety and efficacy, and will enable public-sector procurement for many countries with high rates of malaria, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.”

From The Guardian.

Gavi | Vaccination

Burkina Faso Celebrates Malaria Vaccine Impact

“Authorities report an unprecedented decline in malaria rates at the national level. At a press briefing in February 2026, Health Minister Robert Kargougou said the total number of recorded malaria cases fell from 10,805,020 in 2024, to 7,329,278 in 2025, a decrease of 32%. Over the same period, deaths fell from 3,523 to 1,979, a drop of 44%. Among children under five, cases declined by 39%, while mortality fell by more than 40%.”

From Gavi.