Revolutionizing Organ Transplants: Cleveland Clinic’s Advanced Preservation Technologies Save Lives during National Donate Life Month

Organ donation is a topic that has been gaining increasing attention in recent years, especially during April, which is National Donate Life Month. At Cleveland Clinic, surgeons are utilizing new technology to help preserve livers before they are transplanted, recognizing that every second counts in this life-saving process.

Dr. David Reich, the surgical director of the liver transplant program at Cleveland Clinic Florida, explains that traditional ice coolers used to store organs are not the healthiest way to sustain an organ that will be transplanted. Instead, new machine perfusion technologies allow for the liver to be kept somewhat alive between the donor and the recipient by pumping oxygenated blood or solution through the donor’s liver outside of the body. This process helps to improve the quality of the organ, giving surgeons the opportunity to thoroughly examine the liver to determine if it is healthy enough for transplantation or if further rejuvenation is needed.

Research has shown that perfusion has helped reduce the risk for complications and improved outcomes for patients. In fact, Dr. Reich highlights that patients who undergo perfusion-based transplant procedures tend to go home from the hospital sooner and experience fewer complications than those who do not use this technology. Additionally, ongoing research is being conducted on this new technology with promising results for other types of organ transplants as well.

National Donate Life Month serves as a reminder of