Innovative technology enables TGH physicians to evaluate, recover and successfully transplant donor lungs that otherwise may have been declined.
Sept. 21, 2026 – Tampa General Hospital (TGH), home to one of the nation’s leading transplant programs, has successfully completed its first clinical ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) procedure, using XVIVO’s XPS technology. The technology expands access to life-saving lung transplantation by enabling physicians to evaluate and optimize donor lungs outside the body before transplant.
The groundbreaking procedure was completed by TGH’s multidisciplinary lung transplant team. The donor lungs presented several challenges, including prolonged time without adequate blood flow and oxygen; difficulty achieving full expansion; a blood clot; and an unreported surgical injury. Using EVLP technology, the team was able to assess, repair and optimize the lungs before successfully transplanting them into a patient.
The recipient, who has a rare genetic lung disease, is recovering well following the transplant.
This transplant represents far more than a medical milestone for the recipient. The patient faced significant health challenges and an uncertain future as their lung function continued to decline. A successful transplant offers the opportunity to breathe more easily, regain independence and pursue goals that had become increasingly difficult as their disease progressed.
“This milestone represents a significant step forward in our ability to help more patients receive the life-saving transplants they need,” said Kiran Dhanireddy, MD, FACS, vice president and chief of the Tampa General Hospital Transplant Institute. “EVLP gives us the ability to evaluate and potentially recover lungs that previously may have been considered unusable, allowing us to honor the gift of donation while saving more lives.”
EVLP places donor lungs on a specialized system outside the body where they receive oxygen, nutrients and a bloodlike solution while being gently ventilated. This allows physicians to evaluate how the lungs are functioning in real time and determine whether they are suitable for transplantation.
“EVLP gives us something we have never had before: clarity and confidence,” said Kamal Ayyat, MD, thoracic transplant surgeon and director of Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion at Tampa General. “Instead of turning down donor lungs because we are uncertain about their condition, we can evaluate them directly, address certain issues and make more informed decisions. In addition, the advanced diagnostic tools, physiologic assessment techniques and innovative technologies used within the TGH EVLP program enable us to identify abnormalities, functional issues and donor lung injuries that may go undetected using conventional donor lung evaluation methods.”
The donor lungs were recovered and evaluated by a multidisciplinary team that included Purav Shah, MD, transplant pulmonologist, who assisted with donor lung recovery and assessment, and Lauryn Benninger, MD, transplant pulmonologist, who accepted the donor lungs and helped oversee the recipient’s transplant care.
“The ability to assess donor lungs in a controlled environment provides valuable information that simply is not available through traditional evaluation methods,” Shah said. “EVLP provides a deeper understanding of donor lung quality, helping our transplant team make more informed decisions for patients with advanced lung disease.”
The transplant operation was led by Haytham Elgharably, MD, surgical director of the Lung Transplant Program at Tampa General.
“One of the greatest challenges in lung transplantation is the limited number of suitable donor organs,” Elgharably said. “This technology allows us to safely expand the donor pool while maintaining excellent outcomes for transplant recipients.”
“Behind every transplant is a patient waiting for a second chance and a donor family making an extraordinary gift,” said Satish Chandrashekaran, MD, medical director of the Lung Transplant Program at Tampa General. “EVLP helps us honor that gift by ensuring we can thoroughly evaluate and potentially use lungs that might otherwise go unused.”
The successful launch of TGH’s clinical EVLP program further strengthens the hospital’s position as a national leader in transplant innovation and will help expand access to life-saving lung transplantation for patients across Florida and beyond.
ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, Florida’s premier academic health system, is a 1,530-bed not-for-profit network of hospital and outpatient services spanning Florida. As the only center for Level I trauma and a comprehensive burn care center serving 23 counties, Tampa General delivers world-class care. The system’s hospitals include Tampa General Hospital, Tampa General Rehabilitation Hospital, Tampa General Behavioral Health Hospital, all in Tampa; Tampa General Brooksville, Tampa General Spring Hill and Tampa General Crystal River. Tampa General is the highest-ranked hospital in Tampa Bay in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-2027 Best Hospitals for 11 consecutive years, with five medical specialties ranking among the top 50, two additional medical specialties ranked among the top 100 best hospital programs and two specialties ranked in the top 10% in the United States. As the first hospital in Florida to open a clinical command center for real-time situational awareness, the academic health system has elevated its digital care coordination center to the next level by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and its analytics platform across inpatient and outpatient care to ensure patients receive leading-edge care as quickly and safely as possible. Tampa General’s commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by four prestigious Forbes magazine rankings — in the 2026 America’s Best Large Employers ranked as the Tampa Bay region’s #1 employer in the healthcare category for the sixth year in a row, the 2026 America’s Best Employers for Company Culture, in the top 100 for the 2026 America’s Best Employers for New Grads and the 2026 America’s Best Employers for Women.
Tampa General is the area’s safety-net hospital, caring for anyone regardless of ability to pay; in fiscal year 2024, Tampa General provided a net community benefit of approximately $289.1 million in the form of healthcare for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is recognized as one of the leading adult solid organ transplant centers in the nation and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General transports critically injured or ill patients from surrounding counties to receive the advanced care their conditions require. Tampa General has a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It is home to the Muma Children’s Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General’s footprint includes TGH North, which consists of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties; Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices; TGH Family Care Center Kennedy; TGH outpatient centers; TGH Virtual Health; and TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care, powered by the Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). For more information, go to www.tgh.org.
