After claiming an FDA clearance last October, Paragonix Technologies reported that its donor kidney transportation system has completed its first commercial flight in a quick hop from Arizona to a transplant center in Texas.
The KidneyVault is more than a simple ice chest: The device is the company’s first to provide perfusion of donated tissue by pumping a cooled, specialized solution through the organ to help preserve it on the way to surgery.
Paragonix’s previous systems, designed to cater to hearts, lungs, livers and the pancreas, actively work to hold the organs at a temperature just above freezing to avoid cellular damage. In addition, its BAROguard device automatically maintains airway pressure to protect fragile lungs from potentially harmful elevation changes during airplane flights.
“We are dedicated to leveraging advanced technology to overcome geographic barriers in organ transplantation,” Paragonix President Lisa Anderson said in a statement. “Through innovation in hypothermic perfusion and real-time remote monitoring, we hope to enable seamless kidney transport across greater distances, ensuring more equitable access to life-saving transplants.”
According to the company, the organ procurement organization Donor Network of Arizona was able to fly the kidney in a commercial cabin—a previously unavailable option when speed and time are essential—compared to typical flights that rely on chartered private aircraft.
In January, Paragonix announced the first-in-human cases employing its KidneyVault, used for local transports including the delivery of four donor kidneys to four separate medical institutions nationwide in a 24-hour period.
The company estimates that of the more than 100,000 people in the U.S. on the transplant waiting list, about 90,000 are in need of a kidney.