Indiana Donor Network Maximizing Use Of Latest Technology To Save More Lives Through Organ Recovery

Organization reports a 25% increase in recoveries for transplantation from January through June compared to same time period 1 year ago.

With two quarters of 2023 complete, Indiana Donor Network has surpassed the number of organ recoveries it achieved during the first two quarters of its record-breaking year of 2022, putting the organization on pace to save more lives than ever this year.

From January through June 30, 804 lifesaving organs were recovered, a 25% increase in the number of organs recovered during the same time period one year ago. Additionally:

• 232 organ donors and 734 tissue and cornea donors were facilitated by the organization.
• 8,442 tissues were recovered by the organization.

In 2022, during the same period, 645 lifesaving organs were recovered by Indiana Donor Network. Additionally:

• 155 organ donors and 617 tissue and cornea donors were facilitated by the organization.
• 6,994 tissues were recovered by the organization.

“We are maximizing use of the latest technology available to increase the time organs can remain viable outside the human body as they are transported to patients waiting for a transplant,” said Indiana Donor Network President and CEO Kellie Tremain. “These technological advancements are increasing the viability time of donor organs and substantially increasing the time we have and the distance we can span to get these gifts to those whose lives depend on them. Our successes are also due to our growing, hard-working staff, each dedicated to saving and healing lives through various critical roles.”

In 2022, Indiana Donor Network began utilizing revolutionary kidney perfusion pumps, which are used in operating rooms during organ recovery and during a donated organ’s transport to a transplant center. These pumps keep donated kidneys functioning outside the body, allowing the organ’s temperature and vascular performance to be constantly monitored and increasing its viability for successful transplant. Donated kidneys on perfusion pumps can now be transported up to 250 nautical miles from Indiana Donor Network’s Organ and Tissue Recovery Center in Indianapolis, reaching patients at 40 transplant centers throughout the Midwest.

“We’ve widened our organ donor criteria, enhanced our donor management operations and are utilizing advanced organ recovery coordinators to perform diagnostics and procedures,” said Sherry Quire, director of organ services at Indiana Donor Network. “We’ve added surgical recovery specialists and a surgical medical director. We are also now utilizing a real-time, geo-tracking system to monitor transport of donated organs during all phases of their transport to transplant centers and optimize logistics for recovery, transport and transplantation teams.”

Lindsay Hamilton, director of tissue services at Indiana Donor Network, attributes the five-month rise in tissue recoveries to stronger relationships with the organization’s tissue recovery partners, which are critical links between tissue donors and recipients. Indiana Donor Network’s tissue recovery partners manage the identification of donors and tissue retrieval, preservation and transportation.

“We’ve worked diligently to enhance and expand our relationships with our tissue recovery partners,” Hamilton said. “Many of our partners have expanded their criteria to accept more tissue donors and donors of increased age.”

Currently, there are 1,259 Indiana residents waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant and more than 4.3 million Hoosiers registered as organ donors.

Despite age or medical history, anyone can sign up to be a donor at DonateLifeIndiana.org.

Indiana Donor Network, a non-profit organization, is the federally designated organ recovery organization that coordinates organ, tissue and cornea donation in Indiana and transplantation throughout the U.S. Its mission is to save and enhance the quality of life through organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Its vision is to be a leader in organ and tissue recovery. Founded in 1987, the organization coordinates donation in 85 of the state’s 92 counties and serves transplant hospitals throughout the U.S.