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Organ Transportation Innovations and Future Trends

  • Expanding Role of Technology in Organ Transplant (D Axelrod and J Scalea, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Transplantation evolved dramatically since the first organ transplant in 1954. Rapid increases in knowledge of immunology and surgical care outpaced the organ transportation infrastructure for organ shipment. Current allocation strategies have necessitated donor organs travelling longer distances over greater periods of time, potentially affecting rates of graft survival, delayed graft function (DGF), or primary graft nonfunction (PNF).

Recent Findings

Organ transportation and preservation are intimately related because the longer an organ can be maintained ex vivo, the wider the array of possible shipping modalities. Innovations in organ preservation and shipment allow for optimization of allocation strategies.

Summary

Innovative technologies such as on demand shipment of organs using unmanned aerial vehicles (i.e. drones), the use of smart tools for real-time organ monitoring, and normothermic and hypothermic donor organ perfusion hold great promise for equitable, safe, and durable distribution of high-quality donor organs to matched recipients.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of major importance

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Samuel J. Gavzy & Joseph R. Scalea

  2. Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, 29 S Greene Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Joseph R. Scalea

Authors
  1. Samuel J. Gavzy
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  2. Joseph R. Scalea
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joseph R. Scalea.

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. Scalea holds patents in organ preservation and the University of Maryland. Dr. Scalea founded the company MediGO, Inc. and MissionGO, Inc. which increases access to transplants using efficiency and innovated transportation models.

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Gavzy, S.J., Scalea, J.R. Organ Transportation Innovations and Future Trends. Curr Transpl Rep 9, 143–147 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40472-021-00341-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40472-021-00341-2

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