Nice Backs 4-Year XVIVO Trial to Rescue 4 in 5 Unused Donor Lungs

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 28

Draft NICE guidance recommends the XVIVO perfusion system across the NHS for four years, extending use beyond three adult trial centres and covering paediatric cases.
Four in five donated lungs now discarded in England and Wales could be salvaged because the machine keeps lungs viable for up to six hours outside the body, letting teams test function, treat infection and drain fluid.
Only 23% of donated lungs are currently used, with organs rejected not just for quality but also because of staffing and operating-theatre constraints that the extra preservation time could ease.
The need is acute: 170 people in the UK, including six children, are waiting for lungs, most adults wait about a year, and up to 20% of urgent adult cases die within a year on the list.
NICE said the trial is meant to show whether the technology improves transplant activity and value for money while reducing differences in access between centres.

Sources

The Guardian23d ago

Nice Recommends XVIVO Perfusion System to Boost UK Lung Transplants

GB News23d ago

NHS news: Machine that keeps donated lungs outside the body approved for health service use

streamlinefeed.co.ke23d ago

NICE Recommends Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion Machine That Could Save 80% of Discarded Donor Lungs | Streamline

4 Sources

Can NICE’s four-year XVIVO trial prove that rescued lungs improve access for adults and children, not just transplant statistics?

If 77% of donated lungs go unused, is technology the answer—or are NHS staffing and capacity still the bigger barrier?

Transforming UK Lung Transplantation: The Four-Year NICE XVIVO Trial and the Quest to Rescue 80% of Discarded Donor Lungs

Overview

Traditional static cold storage makes it hard for surgeons to assess donor lung quality, leading to up to 80% of donated lungs being rejected. The XVIVO ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) system changes this by providing a warm, oxygenated environment outside the body, allowing clinicians to rigorously assess and even rehabilitate lungs. By combining cold storage with EVLP, the preservation window is extended, making it possible to schedule transplants during the day instead of at night. This approach has increased transplant volumes by up to 70% in some centers and offers hope for rescuing many lungs that would otherwise be discarded.

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