Partnership Between Southwest Transplant Alliance and Paragonix Expands Access to Life-saving Heart Transplants

Innovation Spotlight

Overview:

Southwest Transplant Alliance (STA) and Paragonix Technologies have partnered to maximize the gift of organ donation and expand access to life-saving hearts for those in desperate need of a second chance at life across the country. Through this partnership, Paragonix provides technology, clinical support and education on the advanced preservation capabilities delivered by the Paragonix SherpaPak® Cardiac Transport System.

Case for Support:

The need for heart transplantation drastically outpaces the availability of donor hearts. An estimated 6.2 million adults in the United States have heart failure and over 350,000 die of causes related to heart failure each year. There are currently more than 3,600 people in the United States waiting for the life-saving gift of a heart transplant.

The logistics of organ donation are extremely complex as transplant centers, organ procurement organizations and other critical partners work together to save lives across the nation. The Paragonix system helps maintain donated hearts at the optimal temperature from the time of recovery to transplant. This helps reduce the amount of time needed to prepare the organ for surgery and contributes to successful outcomes for the transplant recipient. Utilizing technology such as the SherpaPak increases opportunities to match donated organs with waitlist candidates in greatest need despite further distances, while maintaining the integrity of organs during transportation.

“Our organ recovery center – The Legacy Center – is a hub for innovation within the donation community. STA is committed to maximizing the gifts our heroic donors and courageous families make possible for thousands of grateful recipients each year. Partnerships like this one with Paragonix will allow us to continue saving more lives than ever before,” said President and CEO of Southwest Transplant Alliance Patti Niles.

Turn to Tech:

Paragonix Technologies designs, produces, and markets organ preservation and transport devices that safeguard organs during the journey between heroic donors and potential recipients. The Paragonix SherpaPak systems incorporate clinically proven and medically trusted cold preservation techniques in a novel suspension system to provide unprecedented physical and thermal protection. Paragonix SherpaPak™ CTS is the only commercially available FDA-cleared and CE-marked transport device for heart preservation.