Transplantation for the General Surgeon: Care of the Transplant Patient

In this chapter, we review the important clinical aspects of abdominal transplantation relevant to the general surgeon. Whereas only a fraction of readers will go on to specialize in transplantation, most will care for these patients during training. Operative techniques, post-transplantation management, outcomes, and transplantation complications are covered in this chapter. All providers will encounter patients with end-stage organ disease in the course of their careers, and therefore, they must understand the indications for transplantation and considerations for caring for these patients. Likewise, transplant recipients require general surgery procedures, and thus, an appreciation for the unique aspects of caring for this population is essential. This review contains 11 figures, 1 table, and 57 references.  Key Words: dialysis, end-organ disease, graft survival, immunosuppression, intestine transplantation, kidney transplantation, liver transplantation, pancreas transplantation, patient survival, United Network of Organ Sharing /Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network