eli5: how come when your organs are in your body, they need to be 98 degrees, but in an organ transplant the organ is cooled?

Question

eli5: how come when your organs are in your body, they need to be 98 degrees, but in an organ transplant the organ is cooled?

In: 274

Answer 1

Cold cells use less oxygen, like cold hibernating bears use less energy.

Organs, outside the body, have no oxygen supply.

So you cool them so the cells use the lowest amount of oxygen possible while not dying.