DTI Foundation at TTS 2026: advancing DCD through knowledge and international collaboration

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DTI Foundation participated in the 31st International Congress of The Transplantation Society, TTS 2026, held in Sydney, Australia, contributing to an international workshop dedicated to one of the most dynamic areas in contemporary organ donation: donation after circulatory death, DCD.

The workshop, “How to Do Controlled and Uncontrolled DCD in the World”, brought together professionals with different backgrounds and experience to examine the clinical, organisational and ethical elements required to establish and develop DCD programmes.

Translating knowledge into clinical practice

DCD has become an increasingly important component of deceased organ donation worldwide and offers significant potential to expand the donor pool. Its successful implementation, however, requires coordinated action across multiple areas of the healthcare system.

Throughout the workshop, faculty and participants discussed key elements including death determination, end-of-life care, donor identification and management, controlled and uncontrolled DCD pathways, normothermic regional perfusion, organ recovery and multidisciplinary coordination.

The practical nature of the programme allowed participants to move beyond theoretical principles and explore how different approaches can be adapted to specific healthcare environments.

Developing sustainable DCD programmes requires close collaboration between intensive care physicians, transplant coordinators, emergency medicine teams, anaesthesiologists, surgeons, perfusion specialists and other professionals involved throughout the donation pathway. Training and multidisciplinary preparation therefore remain essential to safe and effective implementation.

International exchange beyond the scientific programme

For DTI Foundation, participation in TTS 2026 was also an opportunity to exchange experiences with professionals working in donation and transplantation systems around the world.

Sydney offered the chance to reconnect with long-standing colleagues and friends, reinforce established collaborations and establish new professional relationships, creating further opportunities for knowledge exchange and future cooperation.

We would like to thank The Transplantation Society and the TTS 2026 organising team for their warm welcome, professionalism and hospitality, as well as all faculty members and participants whose expertise and engagement made the workshop possible.

Events such as TTS reinforce a principle that has always been central to DTI Foundation’s work: progress in donation and transplantation depends not only on scientific and technological advances, but also on education, collaboration and the international exchange of experience.