Transplant Critical Care: Is There A Need for Sub-specialized Units? — A Perspective

Sujit Vijay Sakpal^1,2,3, Suresh Kumar Agarwal⁴, Hector Saucedo-Crespo^1,2, Christopher Auvenshine^1,2, Robert N. Santella^1,3, Steven Donahue², Jeffery Steers¹

1 Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center: Avera Medical Group Transplant & Liver Surgery. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
2 Department of Surgery, University of South Dakota. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
3 Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Dakota. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
4 Division of Acute Care, Trauma, Surgical Critical Care. Department of Surgery. Duke University. Durham, North Carolina, USA

DOI: 10.2478/jccm-2018-0014

The critical care involved in solid-organ transplantation (SOT) is complex. Pre-, intra- and post-transplant care can significantly impact both – patients’ ability to undergo SOT and their peri-operative morbidity and mortality. Much of the care necessary for medical optimization of end-stage organ failure (ESOF) patients to qualify and then successfully undergo SOT, and the management of peri-operative and/or long-term complications thereafter occurs in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting. The current literature specific to critical care in abdominal SOT patients was reviewed. This paper provides a contemporary perspective on the potential multifactorial advantages of sub-specialized transplant critical care units in providing efficient, comprehensive, and collaborative multidisciplinary care.