How Warm Perfusion Technology Is Extending Organ Viability and Saving More Lives

Every day, transplant professionals work against the clock to match donor organs with patients in need. While demand continues to grow, many donated organs still go unused - not due to lack of need, but because of limitations around timing and organ viability. These challenges highlight the critical importance of innovations that can preserve and evaluate organs more effectively.

One such advancement is warm perfusion - a technology that’s transforming the way transplant teams preserve, assess, and ultimately utilize organs that might have previously been considered too risky for transplant.

What Is Warm Perfusion?

Warm perfusion, also known as normothermic machine perfusion, is a method of preserving donated organs by keeping them at normal body temperature using oxygenated blood and nutrients. This technique simulates conditions inside the human body and allows organs to remain metabolically active outside the body.

Unlike traditional cold storage methods that slow down metabolism to preserve organs, warm perfusion supports continued cellular function. Clinicians can assess the organ’s performance in real time, gaining valuable insights into whether the organ is viable for transplant.

Extending the Viability Window

Time is one of the most limiting factors in transplantation. Cold storage offers limited preservation windows: around 4 to 6 hours for hearts, up to 10 for livers, and up to 24 for kidneys. Once that window closes, the organ can no longer be safely used.

With warm perfusion, these time constraints are being redefined. Organs can often remain viable for significantly longer, sometimes up to 12 hours or more, depending on the organ and device used. This extended window increases the chances of matching a donor organ to the best recipient, especially when that recipient is located farther away.

Making Marginal Organs Transplantable

Warm perfusion is playing an increasingly important role in expanding the number of organs suitable for transplant. Organs from older donors or those donated after circulatory death (DCD) have traditionally been considered higher risk and are more likely to be declined. With ex vivo perfusion, transplant teams can now evaluate these organs under near-physiological conditions, helping to determine viability more accurately and, in many cases, safely proceed with transplant.

XVIVO Perfusion, a company focused on lung transplantation, has contributed to this shift through its ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) platform. Their system enables donated lungs to be perfused, oxygenated, and assessed outside the body prior to transplant. This approach gives clinicians more data to guide decisions, particularly when dealing with marginal organs or donors that fall outside traditional criteria.

As the technology becomes more widely adopted, it is helping transplant centers make better-informed decisions and potentially expand access to transplant for patients who might otherwise face longer wait times or limited options.

Redefining What’s Possible in Transplant Care

The ability to preserve and evaluate organs in a more natural, functional state is not only saving more lives but also reshaping how transplant centers think about donor pools and logistics.

Transplant teams can take additional time to make clinical decisions, expand their search for ideal recipients, and improve outcomes across the board. Warm perfusion provides both clinical and logistical flexibility that is essential for the future of transplant medicine.

Modern Technology Needs Modern Logistics

Innovations like warm perfusion are only as effective as the systems that support them. When organs can be preserved longer, the logistics infrastructure must be just as capable - ensuring timely, trackable, and secure delivery from donor hospital to recipient operating room.

That’s where Pulse Charter Connect plays a vital role. Our technology-enabled logistics platform supports transplant teams by:

• Streamlining charter and ground transport scheduling

• Enabling real-time GPS tracking and status updates

• Coordinating all stakeholders - clinical, operational, and aviation - all in one centralized platform

• Ensuring compliance, accountability, and speed across every leg of transport

By aligning with advancements like warm perfusion, Pulse Charter Connect helps ensure that no minute - and no organ - is wasted. As the transplant field continues to evolve, we’re here to deliver the coordination and visibility needed to make every life-saving opportunity count.

Want to learn how we support transplant logistics from start to finish? Contact us at info@pulsecharterconnect.com.