Feb. 14 is National Organ Donor Day. 20 people die every day waiting for a transplant.
Nevada is using new technology to bring that number down, according to Joseph Ferreira of the Nevada Donor Network.
The Transmedics Organ Care System is used to recover hearts that would otherwise not be usable for a heart transplant in the U.S.
Instead of storing a heart on ice, the new system will keep the heart beating and warm until it can be transplanted. The hearts can be kept alive for up to 8 hours.
Nevada is the first state in the west to successfully recover a heart using the new system.
However, more organ donors are needed. They are currently 112,000 people waiting for an organ that can save their life.
