This June, SpecialtyCare attended the AOPO Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, to present our Normothermic Regional Perfusion (NRP) services, which we provide to organ procurement organizations.
The AOPO is the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, and it leads the nation’s organ donation community. The goal of the annual meeting is to bring organ, tissue, and eye procurement professionals from across the country together under one roof to share ideas, create connections, and educate the donation and transplant community. The AOPO says it is committed to the day that there’s no longer a waiting list for live-saving organ transplants.
What Is Normothermic Regional Perfusion (NRP)?
The reason NRP is such a valuable innovation in perfusion technology is that it increases the viability window for organs, and it expands the viability of organs from donors after circulatory death (DCD). Typically, DCD organs are at risk of warm ischemic injury, which can render them unusable for transplant purposes. Oxygen deprivation has also been a potential disqualifier, especially for hearts, but NRP keeps organs oxygenated.
NRP perfuses the thoracic and/or abdominal cavity with oxygenated blood after a donor has died. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) a third of all donors are DCD donors, making it even more critical for DCD organs to be utilized successfully. JAMA Network Open reports that NRP “rehabilitates the ischemic injury incurred during the dying process, results in superior outcomes after kidney and liver transplantation, and increases utilization of organs compared with super rapid recovery (SRR) and static cold storage.”
New Opportunities that NRP Provides
In addition to making more organs viable for transplant, NRP offers something that is vital to both patients and surgeons in the transplant process: time. Patients may have to travel for a transplant, and surgeons need time to prepare. Prior methods involving cold storage can only provide six hours of viability for lungs and hearts and 12 hours for livers. NRP extends the viability window, enabling more transplants to occur — and more lives to be saved.
Cureus reports that DCD donation can increase the number of heart transplants by up to 30% — but only if the hearts remain viable. With a longer viability window through NRP, these transplants are more likely to happen. In fact, UNOS reveals that up to 300 more adult heart transplants could be performed every year with the perfusion of DCD hearts.
NRP is already transforming organ transplant programs. In early 2024, The New York Times reported that NRP technology allowed the University of Cincinnati to “ out its waiting list for livers.” Additionally, NRP is accessible for the vast majority of hospitals, given that many ICUs already contain ECMO or ECOS equipment needed for its utilization.
Let Us Support Your Organ Transplant Program
SpecialtyCare is one of the nation’s top providers of perfusion, supporting one in seven heart surgeries around the country. Moreover, our teams lead the way in NRP heart and abdominal organ procurement procedures. No other provider can match our experience, scale, coverage, availability, or capabilities.
From expert consultations to quick response times, organ procurement, state of the art equipment, and 100% coverage of all team and transport expenses, we are your resource for NRP maintenance and implementation. If you’re looking for support for your organ transplant program, get in touch with us — we would love to speak with you!