Peter MacDonald (AU)

What if more donor hearts could be safely used for transplantation?

In this interview, Professor Peter Macdonald explains how machine perfusion is transforming heart transplantation, especially for donors after circulatory death (DCD), and helping expand access to life-saving transplants around the world.

A cardiologist and Medical Director at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, Professor Macdonald shares how this technology has already enabled more than 140 successful DCD heart transplants and contributed to a major increase in transplant activity globally. He also discusses the next wave of innovation in organ preservation, including hypothermic machine perfusion, temperature-controlled static storage, and novel strategies to improve tolerance to ischemic injury.

The conversation also highlights why the TTS 2026 International Congress will be an important forum for advancing knowledge in organ preservation science, donor utilization, and transplantation innovation.

🔬 Topics discussed:
• Machine perfusion in heart transplantation
• DCD heart transplantation
• Organ preservation and ischemia tolerance
• Emerging donor heart technologies
• Why TTS 2026 matters for the future of transplantation