Hypothermic Storage System Preserves Donor Hearts

A novel, single-use organ preservation device improves donor organ quality and extends organ preservation times.

The Sherpa Perfusion Cardiac Transport System (CTS) is designed to be used for the hypothermic perfusion preservation of hearts and eventual transplantation into a recipient. The system combines innovative oxygenated perfusion of donor organs and safe organ storage, with the ultimate goal of extending ischemic time to 12 hours, significantly altering the transportation range of donor hearts. The system is fully disposable, eliminating problems associated with maintenance, device transport, and contamination.


The Sherpa Perfusion CTS is a product of Paragonix Technologies (Braintree, MA, USA), and is designed to be used in conjunction with any of the currently available organ preservation solutions. Paragonix Technologies has also established a future pipeline of various donor organ transport devices to address current donor organ shortage by maximizing utilization, improving donor organ quality, and extending donor organ transport range throughout the entire United States.

“The availability of donor hearts has been historically impeded by both organ preservation limitations and the time required from donation to recipient implantation,” said Leonard A. R. Golding, chief medical officer of Paragonix Technologies. “With an aging population worldwide and an increasing incidence of congestive heart failure leading inexorably to heart transplantation, the clinical community will look to solutions that increase organ availability and organ quality.”

The availability of cardiac transplantation is governed by the “ischemic time,” the elapsed time from heart donation to recipient implantation. According to The International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT; Addison, TX, USA) guidelines for the care of heart transplant recipients, the projected ischemic time should not exceed 4 hours, limiting the distance available to transport a donor heart.

Related Links:
Paragonix Technologies
The International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation