Researchers, scientists and transplantation advocates have developed a device that can keep lungs alive outside the human body for several days.

The new technology might prove to be the key to extending the life of lungs harvested for transplantation, especially in cases where the organ needs to be transported over long distances.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this month approved the lung machine known as the "XVIVO Perfusion System" for use in "humanitarian cases," that is, in cases where there are no other options.

In a process called ex vivo lung perfusion, lungs are attached to the XVIVO device that might help them stay alive outside the body while they await a transplant recipient. 

XVIVO is the product of collaboration among the University of Michigan, the Gift of Life Michigan, Henry Ford Health System and Spectrum Health System. The system costs US$250,000 apiece.

Doctors said only some 20 percent of lungs set aside for transplantation will actually be used. This is because lungs taken out of the body deteriorate fairly quickly when deprived of blood and oxygen.

As a result, there's only a small window of time for lungs to remain suitable for transplantation.

Out of the 1,900 lung transplants completed in the U.S. in 2013, the Federal Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network said 354 patients either died on the waiting list for lungs or had become too sick to actually go through with the transplant.

Dr. Paul Lange, medical director of the transplantation group Gift of Life Michigan, is astounded by the new machine, saying "I've been in medicine for years, and I still think it's wild ... almost science fiction."

The new device has also caused excitement in Dr. William Lynch, a University of Michigan transplant surgeon. He likened the new device to having the ability to test drive a car for four hours instead of fifteen minutes in order to check if it really is usable.

The team hopes they'll also find a way to keep other organs alive for far longer outside the human body.