From Scarcity to Possibility: What Perfusion Technology Means for the Organ Transplant Industry
Every transplant is a race against time. Once an organ leaves the body, its condition begins to deteriorate. Static cold storage (placing organs on ice) has been the standard method of slowing this process for decades. Static refrigeration can delay the damage and buy time, but it cannot prevent it, and it is not long enough.
Time constraints dictated every step of the transplant. Surgeons, coordinators and donor hospitals are working against the clock. In this environment, decisions must be made quickly and travel distances remain short, leaving little room for hesitation or delay.
Today, a new field of organ preservation is emerging—machine perfusion technology. Machine perfusion circulates oxygen and nutrients through specialized solutions to prolong the viability of organs outside the body. This means organs can travel greater distances, medical teams have more time to make thoughtful decisions, and patients have a greater chance of getting a match.
From passive storage to active preservation
Static refrigeration has served its purpose for many years, but it is a passive process. It slows down the activity of the organs without preserving true vitality. Without oxygen and nutrients, cells weaken.
Machine perfusion completely changes this approach. It provides a controlled environment that provides a steady flow of oxygen and nutrients to keep organs stable and functional. Hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) is a method that uses hypothermia and represents a fundamental step forward in organ care
Medical professionals are embracing new scientific insights into organ transplantation. It’s no longer just a matter of getting organs. This is to maintain their health, maintain their function and ensure that every donated organ has a chance of saving a life.
Addressing major barriers to organ transplantation
Machine perfusion solves three long-standing challenges in organ transplantation: time constraints, geographic barriers, and underutilization of donor organs.
- Time has always been the most ruthless factor. The extra time for an organ transplant is a gift. It transforms what was once a frenetic rush into a more thoughtful process. Perfusion technology gives clinicians valuable time to make careful, informed decisions that help maintain organ health and prolong viability. It also provides additional time to evaluate and prepare organs for patients and donor families.
- Historically, geography has played an important role in who can receive a transplant. Staticly cryopreserved organs are usable outside the body for only a fraction of the time compared to machine perfusion. This means that they can only travel a small distance. This significantly reduces the number of recipients eligible for organs and reduces inequalities in the system. By extending storage times, perfusion technology helps the system follow its own rules, prioritizing patients based on urgency rather than proximity.
- A third obstacle is the fight against underutilized donated organs. In the United States, too many organs go unused every year. For abdominal organs such as the liver and kidneys, 35-40% is unused. The numbers skyrocket when it comes to donated hearts and lungs, about 75-80% of which are never transplanted. Machine perfusion creates a more stable preservation environment, making organs once considered unsuitable (from older donors or those with certain health conditions) viable. This allows surgeons to confidently utilize organs that might otherwise be discarded and helps match organs to patients more efficiently, reducing the number of organs wasted.
moral dimension
Time constraints have long forced people to make difficult compromises. Systems incorporating perfusion can correct these imbalances. Longer shelf life could lead to more equitable distribution of organs. Donor families can feel more confident that their loved one's donation will help someone in need. Clinicians gain clarity and time to operate with confidence.
In essence, perfusion technology is not only a scientific but also an ethical advance. It supports equity, transparency and accountability in how life-saving resources are managed and used.
Towards a more ethical and effective future
Infusion is not a concept of the future. It's happening now and changing what's possible in one of the most demanding areas of medicine. Extended organ vitality means extended opportunity. A system built on infusion is more ethical, more transparent, and can get more people off waiting lists.
Adoption must expand, and training and integration need to grow alongside clinical experience. The goal is clear: No one should die while waiting for a new organ.
The journey from scarcity to possibility has begun. Perfusion technology provides the tools to respect every donated organ, help every patient, and make every decision with greater confidence and care. Time is always of the essence in transplantation, but through innovation and collaboration, it can ultimately help save more lives.
Photo: Timeless Creativity, Getty Images
Christoffer Rosenblad is the CEO of XVIVO. As CEO, Christopher leads the company toward its vision that “no one should die waiting for a new organ” and helps clinicians and researchers push the boundaries of organ transplantation to make it more accessible and reliable for people around the world. For the past decade, Christoffer served as COO, CFO and head of XVIVO North America, playing a key role in developing strategy, driving global growth and fostering a culture of innovation rooted in collaboration and integrity.
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