Lungpacer Medical Announces Presentation of DONATE Data Reporting an Increase in Availability of Donor Lungs

Data presented at the American Transplant Congress 2026 reports transvenous phrenic nerve stimulation reduced lung collapse and significantly increased availability of lungs that meet transplant criteria versus contemporary historical controls

EXTON, Pa., June 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lungpacer Medical Inc., a medical technology company focused on neurostimulation therapies for critically ill patients, announced results from DONATE, a study in 50 organ donors showing that temporary transvenous phrenic nerve stimulation improved oxygenation, reduced atelectasis (lung collapse), and significantly increased the number of lungs allocated for transplant. The findings were presented at the American Transplant Congress (ATC) 2026 in Boston by Gary F. Marklin, MD, Chief Medical and Research Officer at Mid-America Transplant in St. Louis, MO.

Lungs are among the least-utilized donor organs: only about one in five lungs from donors are recovered for transplant, a shortfall that contributes to waitlist mortality of roughly 20 percent. The majority of brain-dead donors develop basilar atelectasis, driven by the absence of spontaneous diaphragmatic breathing while on mechanical ventilation. This lung injury and the resulting hypoxemia are leading reasons otherwise transplantable lungs are declined for use.

This novel neurostimulation application, referred to as SupAira^®, uses Lungpacer’s transvenous neurostimulation system to activate the diaphragm during respiratory management of brain-dead donors. By restoring diaphragmatic contraction during ventilation, neurostimulation in the DONATE study resulted in more donor lungs meeting transplant criteria than with standard procedures alone.

In the DONATE study, lungs were transplanted from 51.1% of donors after diaphragm neurostimulation versus 33.7% of matched controls (p=0.031). The lung observed-to-expected (O:E) ratio reached 1.44 with neurostimulation, representing 44 percent more transplantable lungs than expected, versus 1.10 in controls. The O:E ratio, a key performance metric used to gauge organ-yield efficiency, compares how many lungs are actually transplanted with how many lungs national risk models predict will be transplanted from similar donors.

“Roughly three out of four brain-dead donors develop basilar atelectasis, and it is one of the main reasons otherwise transplantable lungs are turned down,” said Gary F. Marklin, MD, Chief Medical and Research Officer at Mid-America Transplant. “Transvenous phrenic nerve stimulation improved oxygenation and reduced atelectasis, allowing significantly more lungs to be transplanted compared with contemporary historical controls at our facility. In a situation where every available lung can save a life, the potential impact on the lung donor pool is very significant and important.”

“Every year, thousands of patients die waiting for a lung transplant while most donor lungs are never recovered, often because of atelectasis and hypoxemia that develop after brain death,” said Doug Evans, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lungpacer Medical. “These results show that diaphragm neurostimulation delivered by SupAira can improve respiratory care, so more lungs generously gifted by these donors are available for the patients who need them. Extending our neurostimulation platform into donor management reflects our mission to improve lung health wherever the need is greatest.”

DONATE enrolled brain-dead donors with a P/F ratio below 300 mm Hg and basilar opacities on chest radiograph, with stimulation initiated within hours of admission to the donor care unit. Outcomes were compared with 176 Mid-America Transplant donors matched on P/F ratio at or below 300 after the first bronchoscopy.

About Lungpacer Medical
Lungpacer Medical is a medical technology company focused on improving outcomes for critically ill patients through innovative neurostimulation therapies designed to restore natural physiology, accelerate recovery, and reduce the burden of care.

Lungpacer’s SupAira System is designed to support the respiratory management of brain-dead organ donors.

Learn more at Lungpacer.com and connect on LinkedIn.

Media Contact: media@lungpacer.com

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