Dr. Anton Skaro and his team at London Health Sciences Centre were the first in Canada to use an organ transplant technique that protects organs after a donor’s circulatory death. (Celine Zadorsky)
Kendra Seguin · CBC News · Posted: Jul 01, 2024
A medical team at London Health Sciences Centre is the first in Canada to perform an organ transplant using a technique that protects some organs after the heart stops beating.
“This is the beginning of a whole new era — a very prosperous era — in transplantation,” said Dr. Anton Skaro, an associate scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute.
Abdominal normothermic regional perfusion (A-NRP) protects abdominal organs after circulatory death, which is when the heart stops and the organs receive little oxygen and blood flow.
The technique has the potential to preserve more high-quality organs for transplants.
“When patients die, that process is very injurious to the organs,” said Skaro. “The organs that come after circulatory death are often unsuitable for utilization for transplantation.”
Suitable organs are in demand. LHSC currently has a list of over 266 organ transplants needed. Last year, the centre transplanted 234 recipients with 246 organs.
The A-NRP technique repairs organs ahead of a transplant by connecting the deceased body to a portable heart and lung machine. It recirculates oxygen and nutrients back into the organs so they remain suitable for recipients.
The procedure can be used on the liver, pancreas, small intestine and kidneys.
Skaro and his team at London Health Sciences Centre first used the technique in April to transplant a liver from an older deceased donor to a patient in need.
“The first procedure went very, very smoothly,” said Skaro, who is also the surgical director of liver transplantation at LHSC.
He said that livers from older circulatory death donors are rarely considered, but the use of A-NRP made the transplant successful.
“Everyone was unbelievably satisfied and happy, and the patient is doing excellent.”
The team also transplanted two kidneys and one other liver this year.
Skaro and his team are continuing their research in A-NRP, ensuring it is safe for donors and improving how recipients’ bodies accept the new organs.
One risk of the procedure is restoring blood flow into the donor’s brain. Skaro said the LHSC team works with physicians and neural monitoring experts to make sure this does not happen.
The team that has gone into this A-NRP research also includes ethicists, surgeons, and kidney and liver doctors.
