Newcastle surgeons complete UK-first kidney transplant using new perfusion system

Surgeons at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital have completed the first UK kidney transplant using a new generation of organ perfusion technology.

The transplant was carried out through the Newcastle Organ Assessment Hub, which uses the XVIVO Kidney Assist system to preserve and assess donated kidneys outside the body.

The technology supplies an organ with oxygenated blood or nutrient-rich fluid, extending the time it can be preserved and allowing clinicians to assess its condition more thoroughly before transplantation. This could enable some kidneys that might previously have been rejected to be used safely.

The recipient was discharged within a week of surgery and is reported to be recovering well. The operation was performed by transplant surgeons Emily Thompson and Professor Colin Wilson.

Thompson said the procedure marked a major step forward for Newcastle’s transplant programme and gave clinicians an important window in which to evaluate the kidney before it was implanted.

Freeman Hospital is one of 15 sites selected by NHS Blood and Transplant to pilot organ assessment and recovery centres. NHSBT estimates that a fully developed national network could support as many as 750 additional transplants each year.

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