ITASCA, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Surgeons at Universitaire Ziekenhuizen and AZ Universitair Ziekenhuis have successfully performed the first kidney transplant procedures as part of a national contract with Organ Recovery Systems that designates the Company as the exclusive provider of preservation services for donor kidneys designated for clinical transplantation. The arrangement calls for the use of the Company’s proprietary LifePort Kidney Transporter at all transplant centers throughout Belgium along with logistical support services. LifePort Kidney Transporter is a novel medical device for organ preservation and transportation that employs hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) to improve viability of a donor organ during the crucial window of time between organ donation and transplantation.
Organ Recovery Systems was awarded the National “All-inclusive kidney preservation platform for hypothermic perfusion of donor kidneys for transplantation” by the National Belgian Transplant Society.
Starting October 1st, 2022, through 2025, Organ Recovery Systems will provide all-inclusive preservation services for all Belgium-based transplant centers, including:
- Universitaire Ziekenhuizen Leuven
- AZ Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen, Edegem
- Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Campus Jette
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Hôpital Erasme
- Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent, Gent
- Cliniques Universitaires Saint Luc, Bruxelles
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Liège
“By establishing LifePort Kidney Transporter as the standard perfusion technology in Belgium, we’re going to show the world what the future of organ preservation looks like,” says Professor Tom Darius of Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc. “LifePort Kidney Transporter gives us the best shot at extending and improving the lives of people in need of a kidney transplant.”
This announcement underlines Belgium’s position as a clinical leader in progressive transplant solutions after being one of the first European Nations to enact a program allowing the use of organs from individuals previously deemed ineligible for donation: those who died from circulatory death (DCD). Although organs from these donors were historically considered unviable, a retrospective analysis revealed that HMP, as enabled by LifePort Kidney Transporter, improved DCD kidney graft function compared to traditional static cold storage, making these organs more suitable for transplantation. Adopting LifePort Kidney Transporter as a standard of care for kidney preservation highlights Belgium’s commitment to increasing access to life-saving organs, improving patient outcomes, and honoring each donor and donor family for their precious gift.
“We are deeply honored to see our LifePort technology contributing to the process of life-saving transplantation at a national level in Belgium,” said David Kravitz, CEO of Organ Recovery Systems. “As our Company’s mission is to help improve outcomes in transplantation, we are grateful to have the opportunity to partner with the National Belgian Transplant Society in giving more transplant waiting list patients a second chance at life.”
About Organ Recovery Systems
Organ Recovery Systems is a global market-leading provider of organ preservation products and services, supporting 320 transplant programs across 43 countries. Since its launch in 2003, LifePort Kidney Transporter has been employed in over 175,000 renal transplant procedures worldwide. Organ Recovery Systems’ proprietary LifePort platform has also been successfully designed to accommodate donor livers to help improve transplant outcomes for end-stage liver disease patients. LifePort Kidney and Liver Transporters are among a growing family of products and services developed by Organ Recovery Systems to support the Company’s mission of honoring donation as a gift of life, improving outcomes, and helping lower overall costs of care for end-stage organ disease.
