Hundreds more lifesaving transplants will be successful thanks to a ‘revolutionary’ technique being rolled out on the NHS.

Surgeons will pump organs such as the liver, kidney and pancreas with oxygenated blood before removing them after an NHS pilot showed it could boost the number of usable organs that are retrieved. The technique pioneered in Britain was shown to double the number of usable livers retrieved and increase the average transplanted abdominal organs from each donor from 2.6 to 3.3.

The rollout of the technique across the UK comes with the NHS transplant waiting list at a record high after a post-pandemic drop in donors.

• ‘I’ve been on NHS transplant list 22 years - I still hope someone will save me’

Surgeons at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh pioneered the technique, called Abdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion (ANRP).

Andrew Butler, consultant transplant surgeon at Addenbrooke’s, said: “Normothermic regional perfusion has revolutionised the way that we are able to provide care for our patients. We can double the number of livers that are transplanted from donors who donate under specific circumstances.

“We are better able to honour the amazing gift that the donor and their family have so generously offered and this is a privilege for us as a transplant team.”

ANRP has now been piloted by six of the NHS’s abdominal transplant centres and modelling suggests once rolled out nationwide it will lead to an extra 150 successful liver transplants a year. Successful donations of kidneys and pancreas will also increase.

Data from the pilot suggests similar deceased donors go on to provide a liver transplant almost twice as often when ANRP is used, donating in 63% of cases compared to 34% when it is not used.

ANRP also helps organs function better. People who had liver transplant where ANRP was used had a 51% lower risk of the transplant failing after 12 months.

Hairdresser Alex Cornish received a transplanted liver benefitted from ANRP before the 38-year-old received it during surgery at the Royal Free earlier this year. The mum-of-four from Sennybridge, in Powys, Wales, said: “The new liver technique really makes sense - it’s something that should be done as much as possible.

“When you are on the waiting list it’s like you have a dark cloud over you. You carry on, put on a smile for the kids, but that feeling is lingering on. Too many people die on the waiting list.”

For kidneys, transplants where ANRP had been used had a 35% lower chance of developing delayed graft function where the organ is rejected. Data suggests the ANRP kidneys will provide an extra additional five years of use.

The will now receive Government funding to roll out ANRP to all ten specialist centres in the UK by 2027. From these centres organs are distributed to patients at hospitals across the country.

Health Minister Zubir Ahmed said: “This is a significant step forward for UK donation and transplantation and cements its status as a world leader. As a transplant surgeon, I know first hand the difference this innovative technique will make to UK patients who are desperately waiting for an organ and a new life.

“By funding its rollout, we will help save and improve hundreds more lives every year and offer the gift of transplantation and hope to more patients than ever before. I urge everyone to take a moment to register their organ donation decision - it’s a simple step that could save someone’s life.”

Often when someone dies in circumstances where organ donation is possible the death is not instant. While the patient is unconscious the process of death can take several hours before the heart stops and death is confirmed. During this time blood flow to the organs set to be donated is significantly reduced - causing them damage.

Once Donors’ Circulatory Death (DCD) is confirmed organs such as the liver, kidney and pancreas are removed and placed in a specially fitted ice box before being transported to a hospital for an urgent transplant.

Once the organ is on ice it goes into a form of hibernation so the deterioration of the organ is put on hold. However that crucial period while the donor was dying causes damage, which means organs do not last as long in their transplant recipient. In some cases they have deteriorated so much they are not fit for transplant.

The new ANRP process sees surgeons open up the abdomen and flush the liver, kidney and pancreas through with oxygenated blood and other nutrients before they are removed to rejuvenate them before hibernation. NHS data now shows this has a remarkable impact on how many organs are usable and how long they last once transplanted.

One person can donate up to nine organs. After years of campaigning by the Mirror, the Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Act - also known as "Max and Keira's Law" - came into effect in England in May 2020. It brought the country into line with the system in Wales and Scotland, then Northern Ireland followed suit in June 2023.

There is now an ‘opt-out’ system meaning that adults are presumed to be organ donors after their death unless they have specifically registered as not wanting to donate. However, crucially, grieving relatives can still veto transplants.

An increase in the number of bereaved families not supporting donation at the bedside means there are now over 8,000 people waiting for a life changing or life saving transplant.

A drop in donors comes at the same time as increasing demand from our ageing population with four in five of those on the waiting list needing a kidney transplant.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) insists it is just as vital as ever that people sign the Organ Donor Register to make their wishes clear, in case the worst happens.

Anthony Clarkson, director at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Most people who donate now have death confirmed following circulatory death. They can usually donate fewer organs than people whose death is confirmed by neurological criteria [brain stem death].

“Regional perfusion keeps the organs of these donors oxygenated and at body temperature, after circulation has stopped. This helps prevent organ damage, improves organ function, and increases the chances that more organs will be suitable for transplant.

“The roll out of ANRP is a major step forward. Organs that would previously have not been donated will now save lives. But organs can only be donated if people support donation. It is critically important we get more people to confirm they want to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register.”

There are currently 6,650 people on the transplant waiting list needing a kidney transplant, 630 people waiting for a liver, and 340 people waiting for a combined kidney and pancreas transplant. Last year around 400 people died while on the waiting list for these organs, or within a year of being removed because they had become too unwell to undergo transplant surgery. Hundreds more people were removed from the organ donor waiting list and have died after more than a year.

Carlo Ceresa, consultant liver transplant surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital in London, said: “ABy resuscitating the liver in the donor, we are able to transplant livers which would have otherwise carried a higher risk into patients who might otherwise face a long wait for a suitable organ.”

Visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk to confirm your decision to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register.