VitalMatch · Data summary

Ex-vivo lung perfusion is a small but growing rescue channel.

Machine perfusion lets teams assess and recondition marginal lungs before committing to transplant. Adoption is rising — and the lungs that go on pump are disproportionately the hard cases.

Source: OPTN/UNOS STAR file, Dec 2025 release · LT/RT_LUNG_MACHINE_PERFUSION (intended or performed); collected from ~2018.

5.8%

By 2025, 5.8% of lung donors had machine perfusion intended or performed (2,067 total). Perfused donors are far more marginal — 34% are DCD — yet still convert to transplant, which is the point of the technology.

01 · Adoption

Uptake is climbing off a low base

Share of lung donors (with the field collected) that had machine perfusion intended or performed, by recovery year.

Machine-perfusion uptake among lung donors (%)

02 · Yield

Perfused lungs still reach recipients

Transplant yield = lungs transplanted ÷ lungs recovered, among perfused vs non-perfused donors. Perfused donors skew marginal (mostly DCD), so a comparable yield reflects genuine rescue.

Lung transplant yield (%)

Perfusion targets exactly the borderline organs an objective CT read also flags — a natural pairing: imaging to triage which lungs merit the pump, perfusion to recondition and confirm.