A new technique performed by a team of London doctors could increase the number of organs that are available for transplant.
In a Canadian first, the doctors at Lawson Health Research Institute, the research arm of London's hospitals, used the technique to optimize organs from two donors, transplanting two kidneys and two livers into four patients. The procedure took place at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) in April.
The technique is called abdominal normothermic regional perfusion (A-NRP) and it uses a special pump to selectively restore blood flow to abdominal organs after circulatory death.
“Organ donation after circulatory death (when the heart stops beating) has historically been less reliable than organ donation after brain death,” said Dr. Anton Skaro, associate scientist at Lawson and surgical director of liver transplantation at LHSC. “This is because there is a higher risk of organ damage after circulatory death since oxygen and blood flow stop.”
Skaro, who leads the research team, noted that the potential to increase the number of viable organs available would be invaluable.
"Unfortunately, we do not have enough donated organs to match the number of patients waiting for transplantation,” said Skaro. “By protecting the quality of organs after circulatory death, A-NRP could help significantly increase the number of available donor organs to save more lives.”
Skaro and his team are studying the use of A-NRP to ensure it is safe for donors. The plan is to include 20 to 30 donors in the study with a goal of expanding the use of the technique to other transplant centres throughout Canada.
The research is being funded by the Move for Life Foundation, London Health Science Foundation, Academic Medical Organization of Southwestern Ontario, and the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Innovation Grant.