Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 15, 2025
Lung Rapid Recovery Procurement Combined with Abdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion in Controlled Donation after Circulatory Death
Published on: August 15, 2022
Expanding donor availability in lung transplantation: A case report of 5000 miles traveled
Zachary W Fitch1, Julie Doberne1, John M Reynolds2
1Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
We present the case of a 41-year-old female who underwent bilateral lung transplantation after the donor lungs were placed on a normothermic ex vivo lung perfusion and ventilation device and flown nearly 5000 miles from Honolulu, Hawaii to Durham, North Carolina. The patient experienced no primary graft dysfunction. One year after transplantation she has remained rejection-free and exhibits excellent pulmonary function. This case highlights the challenge that active organ preservation systems pose to questions of organ allocation and geographic sharing.
We present the case of a 41-year-old female who underwent bilateral lung transplantation after the donor lungs were placed on a normothermic ex vivo lung perfusion and ventilation device and flown nearly 5000 miles from Honolulu, Hawaii to Durham, North Carolina. The patient experienced no primary graft dysfunction. One year after transplantation she has remained rejection-free and exhibits excellent pulmonary function. This case highlights the challenge that active organ preservation systems pose to questions of organ allocation and geographic sharing.
