Glossary of Organ Transport Terms: A Resource for Clinical Teams and Coordinators

Understanding the terminology behind organ procurement and transplant logistics is critical for clinical teams, transplant coordinators, and organ procurement organizations (OPOs). From air ambulance operations to cold ischemia time, this A-Z glossary covers the essential terms used in the coordination, compliance, and movement of human organs for transplant.

Use this guide as a quick-reference tool to improve communication, ensure compliance, and increase efficiency throughout the transplant process.

A

Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS):
A certification required for healthcare professionals who manage critical patients, often involved in donor recovery and transport.

Air Ambulance:
A medically equipped aircraft used for transporting patients or organs over long distances when time is critical.

Allocation:
The process of distributing donor organs based on medical urgency, compatibility, and logistics.

Arrival Time (ATA):
The estimated or actual time a surgical team, courier, or organ arrives at a designated hospital or transplant center.

B

Backup Organ Offer:
A secondary organ offer extended in case the primary recipient is unable to accept the organ.

Base Operations:
The physical location where charter or medical aircraft are stationed, often near high-volume transplant centers.

Biohazard Labeling:
Required markings on organ transport containers to indicate the presence of potentially infectious biological material.

C

Cold Ischemia Time (CIT):
The time an organ is preserved in a cold environment between recovery and transplantation. Shorter CIT is generally linked to better transplant outcomes.

Charter Flight:
A non-commercial, on-demand flight used for transporting organs, surgical teams, or equipment. Charter flights offer flexibility, direct routing, and time savings.

Clinical Coordinator:
A medical logistics professional who oversees the organ recovery and transplant process, ensuring alignment between hospitals, OPOs, and transport providers.

D

Donor After Circulatory Death (DCD):
An organ donor who has passed away following cardiac arrest rather than brain death. DCD donations involve tighter transport windows and specialized coordination.

Donor Hospital:
The facility where the donor is located and the organ recovery procedure occurs.

Dispatch Team:
Logistics personnel responsible for coordinating flights, ground transfers, and time-sensitive organ movements.

E

Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA):
The projected time of arrival for an organ, surgical team, or transport vehicle.

Executive Aircraft:
Privately chartered jets used for rapid, secure medical and organ transport missions.

F

Flight Coordination:
The process of organizing all aviation-related logistics, including aircraft scheduling, pilot availability, and airspace planning, to ensure timely organ delivery.

Fixed-Wing Aircraft:
Airplanes commonly used for long-distance organ transportation, as opposed to helicopters.

G

Ground Transport:
The use of ambulances or medical courier vehicles to move organs and teams between hospitals and airports.

GPS Tracking:
Real-time location monitoring that enables stakeholders to follow the transport status of an organ or medical team.

H

Helicopter Transport:
An option for shorter routes or congested urban areas where speed and accessibility are essential.

Human Tissue Transport:
The logistics of moving transplantable materials including corneas, bone, or skin.

I

Ischemia Time:
The total time an organ is deprived of blood supply—includes both warm and cold ischemic phases.

IFR (Instrument Flight Rules):
Aviation guidelines for operating flights in low-visibility or night conditions, often necessary in urgent medical transport.

J

Jet Charter Broker:
A service provider that arranges non-commercial aircraft for specific missions like organ transport, ensuring compliance and availability.

K

Kidney Paired Exchange:
A process that enables kidney transplants between incompatible donor-recipient pairs by creating matching chains among multiple families.

L

Logistics Platform:
A software system designed to manage every step of the organ transport process, from scheduling and dispatch to real-time tracking.

Live Tracking:
Real-time location data that allows all involved parties to monitor the progress and ETA of organ shipments and surgical teams.

M

Medical Courier:
A trained individual who hand-carries organs or biological samples to maintain chain-of-custody and prevent temperature fluctuations.

Multi-Organ Recovery:
The retrieval of multiple organs (e.g., heart, liver, kidneys) from a single donor, requiring careful coordination and multi-modal transport.

N

NAT (Nucleic Acid Testing):
Screening of donor organs for infectious diseases like HIV or hepatitis C prior to transplantation.

Non-Stop Flight:
A direct flight without layovers, minimizing ischemic time and increasing transplant success rates.

O

OPO (Organ Procurement Organization):
A federally designated nonprofit responsible for donor identification, organ recovery, and logistics coordination within a geographic region.

Organ Transport Cooler:
Specialized containers that maintain proper temperature and sterility during organ transport.

P

Pilot-in-Command (PIC):
The lead pilot who has final responsibility for the aircraft and mission during organ transport.

Pre-Flight Checklist:
A structured protocol to ensure all logistics, safety, and compliance steps are complete before departure.

Q

Quality Assurance (QA):
Standards and review processes used to validate the safety and effectiveness of every step in the transplant logistics chain.

R

Recovery Time:
The timestamp when the organ is surgically removed from the donor—used to calculate ischemic time and determine transport urgency.

Route Optimization:
Using traffic, weather, and airspace data to identify the most efficient route for organ delivery.

S

Surgeon Travel Coordination:
Aligning a surgical team’s travel schedule with the organ recovery timeline and recipient readiness.

Specialty Aviation Provider:
A company like Pulse Charter Connect that provides chartered flights specifically for medical and organ transport, with an emphasis on compliance, timing, and safety.

T

Transplant Center:
A licensed hospital or facility where organ transplantation surgeries are performed.

Transport Manifest:
A formal document listing the contents, handlers, and intended destinations for organ transport—often required for legal and compliance reasons.

U

UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing):
The nonprofit that manages the U.S. transplant system, including organ allocation and policy oversight.

V

Vessel Perfusion System:
Advanced preservation equipment that keeps an organ viable by simulating blood flow or providing oxygenated solution during transport.

VFR (Visual Flight Rules) 

Refers to a set of aviation regulations under which a pilot operates an aircraft based on visual cues outside the cockpit, rather than relying solely on instruments (which would be IFR – Instrument Flight Rules).

W

Warm Ischemia Time (WIT):
The duration an organ is without blood flow at body temperature—particularly relevant in DCD donations.

X

Xenotransplantation:
The transplantation of organs from animals to humans—a developing field that may influence future logistics and transport models.

Y

Yield Rate:
The percentage of recovered organs that are successfully transplanted—used as a key performance and efficiency metric.

Z

Zero Delay Protocol:
A transport strategy that aims to eliminate delays through preemptive planning, asset positioning, and real-time coordination.

This glossary was created to support the clinical and logistics professionals who make organ transplants possible. As terminology, regulations, and technologies continue to evolve, maintaining a shared understanding of key terms helps ensure better coordination, faster decisions, and ultimately, stronger outcomes for patients.

Organ transport is a complex, high-stakes process - involving multiple stakeholders, tight timelines, and strict regulatory requirements. Having clear, consistent language across teams is one small but powerful step toward improving system-wide efficiency.