KidneyVault Renal Perfusion System Used in Four Successful Transplants

Paragonix Technologies announced that its KidneyVault Portable Renal Perfusion System has been used in human kidney transplants for the first time. The cases included the successful transport of four donor kidneys to four separate medical institutions across the country in a 24-hour period last December.

Updates to the national kidney allocation policy in recent years have enabled broader distribution and increased the volume of transplant offers. However, extended transport times result in longer cold ischemia times, requiring the use of perfusion to sustain the viability of donor kidneys.

Approved by the FDA in October 2024, KidneyVault is a lightweight device designed for convenient end-to-end hypothermic perfusion. Organ procurement organizations (OPOs) and transplant centers can remotely monitor the device and view perfusion parameters, temperature conditions, and other critical data in real time.

“Hypothermic perfusion increases the availability of high-quality donor kidneys nationwide,” said Yolanda Becker, MD, vice president and chief medical officer at LifeGift, an OPO that supported the four transplants using KidneyVault.

“However, historically, it was not always feasible to deliver every kidney on pump due to the distances traveled increasing cold ischemic times. LifeGift is now at the forefront of portable perfusion technologies that allow us to transport kidneys greater distances, by ground or commercial air, using a single controlled device from end-to-end. This hands-off solution provides the flexibility to deliver a kidney on pump to transplant centers.”‍

Source: Press release