The First-Ever Transplantation with a Donor Heart Transported Across the Atlantic Ocean - Made Possible by the use of XVIVO’s Heart Technology

GOTHENBURG, SE / ACCESSWIRE / February 29, 2024 / XVIVO Perfusion AB (STO:XVIVO)(LSE:0RKL)(FRA:3XV) The Lancet reports[1] that for the first time in medical history, transportation of a donor heart has been performed across the Atlantic Ocean. After preservation outside the body for more than 12 hours using XVIVO's Heart Assist Transport a successful transplantation was performed in Paris in January. The recipient has recovered well and is now at home.

The transplantation is the first within the investigator-Initiated Study 'PEGASE' conducted by the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, France. The trial aims to investigate the feasibility and safety of donor heart preservation during extended transport times using hypothermic, oxygenated perfusion (HOPE). This is made possible by XVIVO's patented heart technology, a perfusion device with a proprietary solution. Patients in the French West Indies with terminal heart disease need to travel to Paris for a transplant procedure. Due to the vast distance, it has up until now not been possible to transport a donated heart the same route across the Atlantic ocean.

The prestigious medical journal The Lancet now reports about this extraordinary case that stands out for three key reasons:

Unprecedented distance: This marks the first instance of a donated heart being flown across the Atlantic Ocean, covering a distance of 6750 kilometers or 3659 nautical miles, from the French West Indies to Paris - previously unimaginable in heart transplantation.
Extended preservation time: The donated heart was preserved outside the body for 12 hours and 06 minutes, and immediately regained normal function after transplantation.
Commercial air transport: Unlike conventional donor heart transport practices involving private jets, the donor heart was transported in the XVIVO Heart Assist Transport in the passenger cabin aboard a commercial airliner, Air France.

"This transplant may be a monumental breakthrough in heart transplantation allowing for increased access to unused donor hearts, that now can be utilized and safely transported across vast distances. Additionally, it suggests a reorganization of transplant procedures, allowing for better scheduling and expert-led surgeries. These changes might improve overall outcomes and redefine the approach to cardiac transplant care. It is striking that the donor heart after more than 12 hours outside of the body was still soft and viable. This in contrast to donor hearts transported on ice that already after a couple of hours may be stiff, slow to start and require mechanical circulatory support after the transplant", says Professor Guillaume Lebreton, Principal investigator of the PEGASE trial and transplant surgeon at Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.