Delivering donor organs is always a race against time. Organs are still placed on ice in plastic coolers, and the rush to move them to hospitals in need looks a lot like it does on movies and television. Today, eight out of 10 hearts never reach patients who need them due to numerous complications. One major complication is time. A heart on ice is only viable for approximately six hours. The greater the distance between hospitals, the great the risk. This is when TransMedics machine comes into play. It keeps the heart warm, pumps blood through it and feeds it nutrients, so the heart continues to beat outside the body.