The human cost of organ shortage is real tragic. In the United States alone, more than 100,000 patients are waiting for a possible organ transplant. Every eight minutes, a new name joins the waiting list, while 17 die on the list every day – a reminder of the critical shortage and high demand for organs.
Not only is the demand high, but geographical limitations, the short transport life of organs, and strict donor criteria also limit the pool of available organs. However, we are on the brink of a breakthrough—not through a single revolutionary technology, but by making the most of what we already have.
Reforms in organ allocation, efforts to increase the utilization rate of donor organs, innovative surgical techniques, and advanced preservation technologies can—and have been proven to work—together to expand the pool of viable human organs.
We are only scratching the surface of what can be done to optimize human organ transplantation. Achieving a fairer system and scaling up successful transplants will require a collective effort to ensure these advances reach those who need them most.
Advanced Organ Preservation for a More Balanced System
In the past, where you lived geographically affected your chances of receiving an organ transplant. Traditionally, organs were – and in some cases still are – transported in commercial-grade coolers packed with ice, limiting the distance they can travel while still being usable.
This outdated method has a critical flaw – ice damage. Transporting organs on ice exposes them to freezing temperatures, which can cause irreversible cell damage and render them unusable. This tightens the window for transplantation and limits the pool of suitable recipients to those geographically close to the donor. Organs available in California, even if flown in by private charter, will not survive the trip to the recipient waiting in New York City.
New technologies and their adoption by the transplant and donation communities have eliminated geography and distance as barriers to transplantation without sacrificing good clinical outcomes. Organs now routinely travel the distance from Alaska to the East Coast.
Frank May/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
Advanced organ preservation technologies, such as hypothermic preservation devices, ensure optimal conditions during transport. This specialized tool allows transportation teams to track critical data, such as location, temperature, and pressure. These technologies make it possible to safely transport organs over longer distances and ultimately expand the pool of potential donors.
New Techniques Expand Donor Pools for Transplantation
Incorporating organ shortage is a strict criterion for usable organs and transplant eligibility. Only organs from certain donors, depending on the circumstances of death, can be used for transplantation.
However, advanced methodologies and organ preservation technologies have created a new donor pool, allowing doctors to use organs from donors whose hearts have stopped—known as donation after circulatory death (DCD).
Traditionally, certain organs from DCD donors are not considered for transplantation. New technologies now allow DCD organs to be assessed prior to transplantation. Machine perfusion uses a special machine that mimics the function of the human body, keeping DCD organs in a state that is almost functional outside the body when assessed.
Important developments have also been made in organ recovery using normothermic regional perfusion (NRP). Instead of removing the organ completely, surgeons can evaluate the organ in the body of a deceased donor.
Advances like machine perfusion, NRP, and hypothermic preservation devices are integrated into existing practices. These methods allow organs to survive longer, while new preservation technologies extend the travel distance. Together, these advances have increased the number of life-saving human organ transplants.
Using Unused Human Organs
The utilization rate of organs approved for transplantation remains low. Research has found that often less than 30 percent of the liver is allowed and 20 percent of the lungs are used. Optimizing the use of currently available organs, implementing new preservation technologies, and most importantly, providing the organ donor community with the resources and training needed to effectively implement these advances must be a priority.
While the transplant state is not without its challenges, we can overcome many with the technology we have today. We owe it to patients who are waiting for a second chance to build on progress and achieve more through ongoing research, innovation, and industry collaboration.
The organ transplant and donation community has achieved clear and measurable success with the progress it has made. Increasing the number of successful transplants is now possible, but not with just one technology or technique. We need widespread adoption of these innovations, involving doctors, scientists, and patients.
Dr. Lisa Anderson is the CEO and founder of Paragonix Technologies.
The opinion expressed in this article is only from the author himself.
Uncommon knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for a common field.
