Services

Upon receiving a request, specialized personnel—experienced in transport procedures and equipped with one or more suitable vehicles—are dispatched immediately or within the agreed timeframe. With the highest urgency, they carry out pickup and transport while keeping the destination medical unit continuously informed via an online tracking system that provides real-time updates on travel status and estimated arrival times.

Since the service covers the entire Italian territory and, when necessary, extends internationally and intercontinentally, transport can be conducted partially or entirely by air, depending on scheduling, destination, urgency, and weather conditions.

These transports are always customized for specific needs, using dedicated vehicles and personnel available 24/7. Delivery to the recipient is ensured in the shortest possible time, with no intermediate stops unless required by service protocol, all while adhering to strict safety regulations.

The transport of tissues from the hospital where they are retrieved to the preservation center (excluding corneal tissue) is typically carried out by the surgical team responsible for the extraction, who then transfers the tissues to the hospital where the preservation center is located.

Corneal tissue is usually collected locally and transferred to the designated preservation center within 72 hours. From there, it is sent to the transplant center using transportation methods arranged by the preservation center itself. These transfers primarily take place within regional boundaries.

The transportation of transplant tissues from the preservation center (commonly known as a “bank”) to the transplant center is organized using different methods, depending on the distance, type of tissue, and preservation requirements.

This can be conducted via ground transportation (such as cars or trains) or a combined air-ground approach to ensure that the tissue reaches the transplant center in a timely manner, preserving its integrity for successful transplantation.

The Nucleo Operativo di Protezione Civile is an organization providing urgent transport services for medical teams involved in organ retrieval.

Our unique offering to hospital transplant centers is a dedicated infrastructure designed to resolve all logistical challenges related to transplants, leveraging the extensive experience of our trained operators. All services are carried out by specialized volunteer personnel, and for specific needs, highly trained teams are formed to handle specialized operations.

24/7 Transport Services – National, International & Intercontinental

Our transport services operate 24/7, ensuring missions are completed in the shortest possible time without unplanned stops, using air and ground logistics units.

Ground Transport

We utilize vehicles specifically registered for transporting plasma and organs, in compliance with regulations. These vehicles are equipped with passive and active refrigeration units powered by either grid electricity or onboard systems. Additionally, they feature visual and acoustic emergency devices (sirens and blue flashing lights) to optimize urgent transport needs, eliminating the necessity for police escorts or special authorization.

For maximum safety and efficiency, we use mid-to-high category vehicles, ensuring speed, security, and comfort for medical teams. Larger vehicles enhance safety through active and passive protective features while offering a comfortable environment—essential for medical teams traveling long distances before performing delicate surgical procedures. Vehicles are chosen for their agility and maneuverability, enabling efficient transport even in heavy traffic conditions.

Air Transport

Through established agreements, we provide helicopters, including night flights, and dedicated aircraft for specialized missions. For international and intercontinental transfers, partnerships with major airlines allow priority access to commercial flights and rapid airport transit for seamless transfers.

Predictive & Backup System

A standout feature is our predictive and backup system, ensuring punctuality and emergency management. This system includes preemptive route planning, choosing the best transport method and itinerary, alongside backup protocols that activate during unexpected events (such as travel disruptions or medical team requirements), ensuring minimal impact on mission success.

Throughout the transport process, personnel remain connected to the operations center and institutional command centers (such as prefectures, traffic police, and airport authorities), ensuring full coordination. We independently manage permits, authorizations, and compliance, preventing bureaucratic delays.

Our organization is one of the few in Europe capable of delivering Comprehensive Transplant Logistics Support, far beyond simple transport, offering end-to-end assistance for medical teams engaged in organ retrieval and transplantation procedures.

As with all our services, bone marrow transports—national, international, and intercontinental—operate 24/7, ensuring missions are completed in the shortest possible time, with no unplanned stops unless required by the travel plan.

Expertly Trained Personnel

Personnel assigned to this service undergo specialized training on the healthcare transport protocols, including airport procedures, regulations, and air safety measures. Since donors may be located abroad, transport staff handle international pickups, ensuring bone marrow reaches the hospital of destination safely. Our teams are also well-versed in IBMDR and WMDA international protocols for retrieval, transport, and transplantation.

For missions abroad, we deploy staff proficient in English or the required languages.

Operational Preparation

Bone marrow transports are typically scheduled 10–15 days in advance, allowing close coordination with the requesting T.M.O. facility for all mission details.

At least 7 days before departure, we initiate pre-operational procedures, which involve extensive communication between the requesting facility, the retrieval site, donor registries, and relevant authorities. All information is exchanged via email to ensure clarity and documentation.

Information collected during pre-operational planning:

• Type and quantity of the materials to be retrieved
• Specific required documentation
• Retrieval center details (city, address, contact information)
• Exact location within the hospital
• Additional logistical data

Information provided to facilities:

• Travel itinerary (including flights, bookings, and backup flights as per international protocols)
• Identity and identification details of the transport personnel

Retrieval & Transport Execution

Arrival at the retrieval city:

• Same day for domestic transports
• One day before for European transports
• At least two days before for other international missions

On the day of retrieval:

• Arrival ahead of schedule
• Presentation of credentials
• Verification of material type, quantity, and codes
• Collection of biological materials
• Immediate transport to the T.M.O. center
• Secure handover at destination

Adaptive Travel & Emergency Backup

Personnel are trained to manage travel plan adjustments, ensuring rapid responses to flight cancellations or schedule changes. Our operations center is active 24/7, maintaining direct communication with transport teams and airlines.

In urgent cases, we immediately deploy alternate travel routes or emergency vehicles equipped with sirens and blue flashing lights for direct airport pickup and fast-track transport to the destination hospital.

Predictive & Backup System

One of our most valued service features is the predictive & backup system, ensuring meticulous pre-planning and swift response to unexpected events, minimizing disruptions while maintaining operational efficiency.

Thanks to these procedures, we have successfully completed numerous national and international missions, including intercontinental transports across the United States, Canada, the Middle East, China, and Australia.

At times, determining the compatibility between a donor and recipient for an organ transplant or verifying the suitability of an organ for transplantation requires specialized tests that can only be conducted in specific laboratories.

Due to their critical nature, these tests must be performed as quickly as possible.

Similarly, hospitals may occasionally run out of life-saving medications, requiring urgent transport from the manufacturer or another medical facility that has available stock.

The characteristics of these types of transport are similar and follow the same procedures.

Urgent Transport Procedure

Upon receiving a request, specialized personnel, trained in medical transport procedures and equipped with one or more suitable vehicles, are immediately dispatched or sent within the agreed timeframe. They handle pickup and transport with maximum urgency, keeping the destination medical unit continuously updated via real-time tracking on travel status and estimated arrival times.

Since the service covers all of Italy and, when needed, extends internationally and intercontinentally, transport may be partially or entirely conducted by air, depending on the urgency, scheduling, and weather conditions.

These transports are customized to specific needs, utilizing dedicated personnel and vehicles, and are available 24/7. Delivery is ensured within the shortest possible time, with no intermediate stops unless required by service protocol.

It often happens that a patient on an organ transplant waiting list faces challenges in reaching the transplant center when they receive the call that a compatible organ has become available. This is because, in most cases, the transplant center is not located in the patient’s city of residence, and these calls frequently arrive at unusual hours, such as late at night, when public transport or other services are either unavailable or significantly delayed. However, responding quickly is crucial—the patient must arrive at the transplant center as soon as possible. While the surgical team prepares the organ extraction and transport, the patient undergoes diagnostic tests, medical evaluations, and preoperative procedures to ensure readiness for the operation.

As with all our services, our organization works closely with transplant centers or directly with patients to facilitate urgent transport from their home to the transplant center in the shortest possible time. This transfer is arranged, when feasible, using our institutional vehicles, which are equipped with emergency alert systems, allowing efficient navigation even in high-traffic scenarios. Depending on the distance and availability, we also utilize preferential access to commercial flights or collaborate with military aviation to transport patients via official aircraft, following the designated procedure (refer to the Prefettura di Roma website for more details).

In line with our commitment to providing an ever more precise, detailed, and reliable service that meets the organizational needs of healthcare facilities while adhering to current safety and reliability standards, the Nucleo Operativo di Protezione Civile has developed an ONLINE TRACKING SYSTEM. This system allows transplant centers to monitor transport missions in real-time and access detailed information at any moment.

How It Works

To access the tracking system, users must log in to the reserved area of our website www.nopc.it (credentials required).

Once inside, transplant centers can view comprehensive details of ongoing and completed transport missions, including:

• Type of transport
• Date of mission execution
• Courier identification
• Retrieval center
• Transplant center
• Mission notes
• Courier identification details
• Transportation methods used
• Scheduled and actual times for each critical mission step
• Other relevant information

Users can access both pre-mission forecasted data and real-time updates at every stage of the operation.

Emergency Alerts & Notifications

In the event of adverse conditions such as:

• Delays in organ retrieval or delivery
• Flight departures or arrivals delayed
• Heavy traffic conditions
• Any other unforeseen event

The system will trigger an alert, notifying our 24/7 coordination center, ensuring immediate intervention to mitigate disruptions.

This innovative system enhances efficiency and reliability, guaranteeing seamless logistics for life-saving transplant operations.