Paragonix Advanced Organ Preservation Enables Mid-America Transplant to Place High-Risk Donor Livers

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Paragonix Technologies Inc. a pioneer in organ transplant solutions, is proud to publicly announce the recurrent success of a new, innovative strategy recently developed to minimize the complexities and logistics of placing high-risk donor livers. Pioneered in tandem with Mid-America Transplant, a leading organ procurement organization that specializes in managing organ and tissue donations, this new initiative effectively harnesses advanced liver preservation technology to utilize donor livers that would have otherwise not been accepted for use in transplantation. Notably, the renowned organ procurement organization (OPO) has successfully employed the new initiative to accommodate the workflow of multiple challenging liver transplant surgeries performed by Tampa General Hospital, recognized as the fourth largest liver transplant center in the United States.

Mid-America Transplant facilitated these complex cases through a readily available supply of Paragonix Advanced Organ Preservation devices, specifically stocking the LIVERguard^® Donor Liver Preservation System on-site for immediate or urgent use. In each of these cases, the donor livers had been declined by several transplant centers due to compromised ischemic times. However, the availability of LIVERguard enabled Tampa General Hospital, in collaboration with Mid-America Transplant, to successfully transplant the organs. This repeated success showcases the potential impact of Paragonix’s innovative technology in expanding the pool of viable organs for transplantation.

Mid-America Transplant views the LIVERguard System as a tool they can bring to high-risk donor cases, including DCD (Death by Circulatory Death), to utilize organs that may be more difficult to place, or may otherwise be discarded. “Our role is to be the best possible stewards of the gifts entrusted to us by our donor heroes and their families,” said Rich Rothweiler, the director of Organ Utilization at Mid-America Transplant. “Using LIVERguard has enabled us to complete a successful transplant that might not have happened otherwise, giving someone a second chance at life.”

This unique workflow illustrates the effective utilization of Advanced Organ Preservation devices as a mechanism to overcome common challenges, like extended ischemic times or distance, which can lead to viable organs being discarded. The technology ensures unmatched organ protection during transport, along with real-time reporting of organ conditions and location, which could broaden the number of viable organs available for transplantation.

Dr. Kiran Dhanireddy, vice president and chief of Tampa General Hospital Transplant Institute, emphasized the critical role of LIVERguard in these groundbreaking salvage operations. “Tampa General Hospital is firmly committed to utilizing technology in the best interest of patients. Our partnership with Paragonix has allowed us to consider organs from further away and of more medical complexity than we have ever been able to previously consider. The partnership that we have developed with Mid-America Transplant has facilitated Midwest organs being transplanted in Florida. This partnership fulfills the mission of all three organizations to transplant more patients.”

For more information about Paragonix Technologies, please visit paragonix.com

About Mid-America Transplant

Mid-America Transplant enables adults and children to receive life saving gifts through organ and tissue donations. For nearly 50 years, it has facilitated and coordinated organ, tissue, and eye donation, and now serves 84 counties covering eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and northeast Arkansas that together are home to 4.7 million people. It saves lives by providing expert and compassionate care for organ donors, recipients and families, and transforms the clinical processes required to recover and transplant organs and tissues. Mid-America Transplant was the first such organization in the U.S. to use an in-house operating room for organ recovery and pioneered innovative models of increasing donor registry enrollment to provide organs and tissues to those in need. It is federally designated as one of 56 such organizations in the U.S. and is the first organ procurement organization (OPO) to be recognized as a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence, and the only two-time recipient. For more information, visit www.midamericatransplant.org.

About Paragonix Technologies

Paragonix Technologies is a leading developer, manufacturer, and service provider in the organ transplant industry, establishing a novel approach to organ preservation.

Paragonix Technologies provides Advanced Organ Preservation (“AOP”) devices that safeguard donor organs during the journey between donor and recipient patients. Our FDA-cleared and CE-marked devices incorporate clinically proven and medically trusted cold preservation techniques that allow unprecedented physical and thermal protection to the organ during transit. All Paragonix AOP devices are natively integrated with our novel digital app, delivering real-time organ tracking data and monitoring logistics for transplant teams seeking a secure and centralized solution. For more information, visit www.paragonix.com.

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