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Duluth Today
By the People, for the People
Bridge to Life Announces First Commercial Use of VitaSmart™ HOPE System by Major U.S. Transplant Center
FDA clearance signals early physician confidence in new organ preservation technology
Mar. 24, 2026 at 10:38am
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Bridge to Life Ltd., a global innovator in organ preservation and perfusion technologies, announced that Duke University Hospital became the first U.S. transplant center to successfully implement the VitaSmart™ Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion (HOPE) System. The FDA-cleared VitaSmart™ HOPE System was used to preserve a donor liver from a Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD) donor prior to transplantation.
Why it matters
The VitaSmart™ HOPE System provides transplant centers with an additional approach to expand the donor pool and increase access for patients on the waitlist. Hypothermic liver perfusion can help improve early graft function and reduce complications compared to standard static cold storage.
The details
The VitaSmart™ HOPE System cools donor livers to controlled hypothermic temperatures while providing oxygenated perfusate prior to transplantation. The FDA-cleared labeling supports use in both Donation after Brain Death (DBD) and Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD) donors. The system is designed for reliability, simplicity and ease of use to support adoption across transplant centers.
- On March 24, 2026, Bridge to Life announced the first commercial use of the VitaSmart™ HOPE System by Duke University Hospital.
The players
Bridge to Life Ltd.
A global innovator in organ preservation and perfusion technologies.
Duke University Hospital
The first organ transplant center in the U.S. to successfully implement the VitaSmart™ HOPE System.
Dr. Andrew Barbas
Associate Professor of Surgery and surgical director of the liver transplant program at Duke University Hospital.
Don Webber
CEO and President of Bridge to Life Ltd.
What they’re saying
“The ultimate goal is to provide the greatest access possible to all our patients on the waitlist. Hypothermic liver perfusion provides our team with yet another approach to expand the donor pool in liver transplantation.”
— Dr. Andrew Barbas, Associate Professor of Surgery and surgical director of the liver transplant program at Duke University Hospital
“We are thrilled that our new VitaSmart™ System has been implemented to successfully preserve donor livers prior to transplantation. After years of use and thousands of liver transplants utilizing our VitaSmart™ System in the European Union (EU), we now mark another major company milestone with VitaSmart™ availability to the U.S. transplant community.”
— Don Webber, CEO and President of Bridge to Life Ltd.
What’s next
Bridge to Life plans to continue supporting the adoption of the VitaSmart™ HOPE System at additional U.S. transplant centers to expand access to this innovative organ preservation technology.
The takeaway
The successful first commercial use of the VitaSmart™ HOPE System at Duke University Hospital demonstrates the potential for this technology to improve outcomes and increase the donor pool for liver transplant patients in the United States.
