📖Glossary

Here are some common terms used in organ transport.

Brain Death - the irreversible cessation of all brain activity, including in the brainstem, which controls vital functions like breathing and consciousness.

Center Identifier - a unique code or number assigned to a specific transplant center or hospital that performs organ transplants. This code is used in medical databases and transportation logistics to track where organs are being sent and received.

Charter Operator - a company or service that provides private air transportation for time-sensitive medical needs, such as organ transport. These operators are often contracted to ensure organs are quickly and safely transported between procurement hospitals and transplant centers.

Deceased Donor - an individual who has passed away, typically due to brain death or circulatory death, and whose organs or tissues are donated for transplantation.

Donor - an individual, either living or deceased, who provides an organ or tissue for transplantation. Deceased donors typically offer organs after brain death or cardiac death, while living donors can donate certain organs like kidneys or parts of the liver.

En Bloc - a procedure where two kidneys from a small donor, typically a pediatric donor, are transplanted together into one recipient. Instead of splitting the two kidneys for different recipients, they are kept attached to the major blood vessels (the aorta and vena cava) and transplanted as a single unit.

Estimated Procurement Time - The time it takes for an organ procurement surgery to be completed.

Fixed Base Operator (FBO) - a service center located at an airport that provides services like fueling, maintenance, and logistics coordination for chartered flights transporting organs. They play a key role in organ transportation by supporting the transport team’s needs during flights.

Ischemic Time - the period during which an organ is deprived of blood supply after it is procured from a donor and before it is transplanted into the recipient. There are two types:

• Cold ischemic time (CIT) when the organ is kept on ice, and

• Warm ischemic time (WIT) when the organ is at body temperature without a blood supply.

Islets - clusters of cells in the pancreas. Islet transplantation is a procedure where these cells are harvested from a donor pancreas and transplanted into a person with type 1 diabetes.

Living Donor - a person who donates an organ (or part of an organ) while they are still alive, as opposed to a deceased donor.

Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) - a federally designated organization responsible for the procurement, preservation, and transportation of organs for transplantation. OPOs work with donor families, hospitals, and transplant centers to coordinate the entire donation process.

Procurement - The process of obtaining an organ from a donor for the purpose of transplantation.

Procurement Hospital - a medical facility where the organ donor is located and where the organ retrieval (or procurement) surgery takes place.

Regions - refer to geographic divisions used by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) to organize and manage the allocation of organs. The U.S. is divided into 11 regions, each containing several transplant centers and OPOs.

Safety Certifications/Tags - refer to certifications or documentation ensuring that organs, medical supplies, and transportation methods comply with safety standards. For example, aircraft transporting organs may have specific safety certifications to ensure they meet federal aviation requirements for medical transport.

Scheduled vs. Actual Arrival - This refers to the planned arrival time of the organ or transport team versus the actual time they arrive at their destination. The discrepancy between the two can affect the transplant surgery schedule, so it's carefully monitored.

Scheduled vs. Actual Departure - this refers to the planned departure time of the organ transport versus the actual time the transport team leaves. This information helps in tracking and ensuring that organs are transported in a timely manner to maintain viability.

Transport Team - a specialized group of medical and logistical professionals responsible for safely moving organs from the procurement hospital to the transplant center. This team often includes healthcare professionals, logistics coordinators, and aviation specialists.

Transplant Center - a hospital or medical facility that performs organ transplant surgeries. These centers evaluate patients, perform the transplants, and provide postoperative care. They are registered with organizations like UNOS and are equipped with specialized staff and technology.

UNOS ID - a unique identifier assigned to a transplant candidate, donor, or transplant center by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). It is used to track the matching and allocation of organs through the national transplant database.