All medical samples are subject to specialized requirements regarding labeling and shipping. They must often be transported as temperature-controlled cargo, for example. The transportation of organs is particularly sensitive. The Organ Procurement and Transportation Network (OPTN), which falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has established the protocols for labeling and shipping organs outside the donor hospital.
Donor Organ Labeling
The proper donor organ labels may be obtained directly from the OPTN. All labeling and packaging must be done in accordance with the OPTN organ tracking system by the organ procurement organization (OPO). If the OPTN organ tracking system is not used, the OPO is responsible for developing an alternative labeling and packaging process in strict accordance with Policy 16 of the OPTN’s guidelines. In addition, the reasons for deviating from the organ tracking system must be expressed. The packaging and labeling of donor organs and tissue types must be completed by the host OPO before the transplant hospital staff leaves the operating room. In addition to labeling each package with the donor’s date of birth and initials, the contents, and donor blood type, each specimen must be labeled with the date and time of procurement.
Donor Organ Packaging
As soon as deceased or live donor organs and tissue types are removed from the donor, they must be directly placed inside a wet iced shipping container. Adequate ice or refrigeration must be used to ensure the continued viability of the organs during transport. Extra vessels may be packaged either in the same external transport container as the organs, or a different one. All organs should be protected by a triple sterile barrier.
Donor Organ Shipping
The host OPO or the organ recipient’s transplant hospital may be responsible for transportation costs. Donor organs must generally be transported to the donor recipient hospital as quickly as possible. The shortest window of preservation applies to hearts and lungs (four to six hours). Kidneys must be transplanted within 48 to 72 hours.
Xcel Delivery Services is a leading provider of specialized medical delivery services, including daily routed and on demand delivery. Our drivers can even rush a prescription over to a patient for you! To discuss your medical delivery needs, you can call our office in Tucson at (520) 355-4897.
