Portable Hypothermic Machine Perfusion During Long-Distance Kidney Transport
A published case report documents the use of portable hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) with LifePort Kidney Transporter (LKT) during interregional transport of an expanded-criteria deceased-donor kidney over more than 1,000 km in Vietnam. The kidney was transported by ground and scheduled commercial flight, with a total cold ischemia time of 10 hours and 50 minutes.1
Key findings:
- >1,000 km (621 miles) interregional transport distance by ground and air
- 10 hours 50 minutes total cold ischemia time
- Renal resistance and flow improved during HMP
- No delayed graft function and no dialysis required during the first postoperative week
- 142 µmol/L creatinine and approximately 55 mL/min/1.73 m² eGFR at six months
The authors conclude that this case demonstrates the operational feasibility of portable HMP with LKT for interregional deceased-donor kidney donation in Vietnam. As a single case without a static cold storage comparator, the report does not establish comparative clinical benefit.
Read the full study here.
1https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/transplantation/articles/10.3389/frtra.2026.1982759/full