{
  "id": 9786239,
  "title": "London, Ont. hospital completes first Canadian ‘heart in a box’ transplant",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/london-ont-hospital-completes-first-canadian-heart-in-a-box-transplant",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-25T15:43:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CityNews",
    "slug": "citynews",
    "url": "https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/09/25/london-ont-hospital-completes-first-canadian-heart-in-a-box-transplant/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) has successfully completed the first heart transplant in Canada using the Transmedics Organ Care system, also known as \"heart in a box.\" This innovative system allows for the revival of donor hearts that may not have been suitable for transplants due to circulatory death. Dr. Dave Nagpal, co-director of the multi-organ transplant program at LHSC, explained that the technology enables the monitoring of a heart's function while on the machine, ensuring its suitability for transplant. The recipient of the groundbreaking transplant was Raj Mittal, who had previously undergone a triple bypass surgery in 2025 and was placed on the organ donation list in January of 2026. Mittal underwent the transplant surgery in February 2026 and has since reported improvements in his ability to perform daily activities, including walking and participating in physiotherapy. The \"heart in a box\" technology is anticipated to significantly reduce wait times for transplant candidates by preserving organs for up to 12 hours, potentially increasing donor heart availability by 40 percent. The success of this transplant is attributed to years of collaboration between LHSC, Ontario Health, and the Trillium Gift of Life Network in London.",
  "summary": "In a Canadian first, the cardiac team from London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) has completed a heart transplant using the Transmedics Organ Care system, often referred to as “heart in a box.” The system allowed the team to implant a donor heart that may not have been eligible for a transplant otherwise. “Heart in a […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}