Lifesaving Aorta Transplant
Royale International specialises in biologistics services. With over 30 years of expertise, our experts understand the delicate and complex nature of shipping lifesaving aorta for transplant. The case below highlights the value of our global Quality Management System (QMS) to mitigate logistics risk of temperature-controlled shipping.
Background – who required the lifesaving aorta?
Our client, a hospital in Hong Kong, needed a reliable temperature-controlled logistics provider. They needed to securely deliver an Aorta and Aortic Valve from Georgia, USA to Hong Kong. However, the aorta must be delivered to the hospital transplant centre within a defined timeframe to avoid degradation of the organ.
Challenge – How complex is it to ship aortas?
Our experts kept the lifesaving aorta in a cryogenic temperature range between -196˚˚C and -150˚C to prevent cell death and stop biological time. Moreover, they had aimed to deliver within the transplant surgery time. On average, this would take an average of six hours, before the risk of complications increases. The lifesaving aorta would fail if the organ was not kept under cryogenic temperatures throughout the transit. In addition to the already tight timeline was the concern of complying with import/customs regulations that could have detained the lifesaving aorta, jeopardising the transplant.
Solution – How Royale supported the aorta transplant?
Our industry experts proposed a high-end logistics solution under our global QMS:
- Firstly, our validated equipment comprised of various packaging solutions that could handle the lifesaving aorta. Our accredited dry shipper equipped with our data loggers ensured the aorta remained within temperature parameters throughout the transit. Also, our monitoring solutions also tracked the location, shock and humidity within the dry shipper, which allowed the team to accurately monitor transport conditions for the entire journey.
- Secondly, our trained and qualified professionals are familiar with local customs regulations. Indeed, our dedicated account management teams pre-filled documents and forms for compliance purposes. This enabled a seamless shipment clearance on arrival at Hong Kong International Airport.
- Finally, Our global standard operating procedures supported how often our experts communicated with our client, which offered high visibility via our monitoring solutions and successfully delivered the artery for the transplant.
Upon delivery, the patient received and the doctors implanted the lifesaving aorta.
Learn about our dry shippers? Read through our spec sheet here.
Want to speak to our Life Sciences experts for a temperature-controlled solution? Send an email to lifesciences@royaleinternational.com or lifesaving@royaleinternational.com