the need
Every year, thousands of Canadians are added to organ waiting lists and every 3 days someone dies while waiting. Although most of us believe that organ donation is a good thing, only about a quarter of us are registered as donors. Tragically, of the organs that are donated, many are unusable (wasted) due to a variety of reasons, including both clinical and non-clinical factors.
the intervention
Dr. Anton Skaro (Transplant Surgeon), and a dedicated team at LHSC have committed to increasing the available pool of viable organs to London Health Sciences Center’s Liver Transplant Unit by introducing the proven ‘Normothermic Abdominal Region Perfusion’ (N-ARP) practice.
London Health Sciences Center (LHSC) is the first hospital in Canada to implement N-ARP! Instead of transporting organs on ice, which aims to delay the death of viable organs, the new machine will keep organs warm, oxygenated, and alive. This means that donated organs can stay viable for a longer time before being transplanted, resulting in more successful transplants thanks to fewer post-transplant complications and reduced wait times. In other words, ARP saves lives
the action
Your donations support Dr. Skaro in starting a clinical N-ARP program within the Liver Transplant Unit of LHSC. The first two years of the program have provided data for a parallel research program already underway. A successful first two years will help establish ARP into the hospital budget and make ARP a standard clinical practice at LHSC.
the progress
Your support of Jillian’s Lake Ontario Swim in 2021, and the Move For Life 1600km Relay in 2022, allowed us to donate $230,000 for the purchase of the ARP machine; maintainenance of the ARP machine for the first two years; and provide the tubes and wiring needed to support ARP in the first transplant. Funds raised in London, Ontario at the 2025 Annual Walk-n-Talk will be donated to the N-ARP initiative.
the next steps
As a five-year project, funding is needed to grow the research and clinical program. As this program evolves, the team plans to translate their findings to other clinical centres both inside and outside Canada. The knowledge acquired will also help inform other organ groups such as kidneys, heart and pancreas.
We invite our community to help support this exciting, life-saving initiative.
Your donations will help fund:
Consumables, equipment, liver Viability Assessments, personnel.