{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T05:21:41Z","timestamp":1783488101641,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783468800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontierspartnerships.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Transpl. Int."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Perfusion technologies preserve and\/or improve organ viability by restoring circulation to donor organs either outside the body (machine perfusion, MP) or inside the body of the deceased donor (normothermic regional perfusion, NRP). Ethical debates surrounding perfusion raise questions about its acceptability for transplant recipients. This study explores patient perspectives on perfusion techniques and preferences regarding informed consent. Five online focus groups were conducted with 32 kidney, liver, and heart patients, both pre- and post-transplant. Sessions were analyzed using qualitative content analysis in Atlas.ti. Participants were generally accepting of MP and NRP, valuing clinical benefits. However, they were more hesitant toward NRP due to ethical concerns about post-mortem use of the donor\u2019s body and potential emotional impacts on donor families. Drivers of acceptance were patients\u2019 medical urgency and certainty that donor and donor family were respected. Most participants wanted to receive detailed information about perfusion techniques. While patients were broadly accepting of perfusion techniques, NRP raised more concerns than MP. To ensure ethical implementation and social acceptability as these technologies evolve, patient perspectives should be embedded into perfusion guidelines, informed consent processes, and policy development.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/ti.2026.16459","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T05:10:21Z","timestamp":1783487421000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Patient perspectives on the ethics and acceptability of perfusion techniques for organ transplantation: a qualitative study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"39","author":[{"given":"Jaden","family":"Blazier","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Technology Assessment, Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam","place":["Rotterdam, Netherlands"]},{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC Transplant Institute, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam","place":["Rotterdam, Netherlands"]},{"name":"Department of Public Health, Program of Medical Ethics, Philosophy, and History of Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam","place":["Rotterdam, Netherlands"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eline M.","family":"Bunnik","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Program of Medical Ethics, Philosophy, and History of Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam","place":["Rotterdam, Netherlands"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Valerie","family":"Kortekaas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Ethics Institute, Faculty of Humanities, Utrecht University","place":["Utrecht, Netherlands"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Esther W.","family":"de Bekker-Grob","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Technology Assessment, Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam","place":["Rotterdam, Netherlands"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maartje H. 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