Podcasts · Behind The Knife: The Surgery Podcast

Clinical Challenges in Transplant Surgery: Deceased Donor Abdominal Recovery - A Step-by-Step Guide

· 47 min · Episode 99 · Bonus

Episode Clinical Challenges in Transplant Surgery: Deceased Donor Abdominal Recovery - A Step-by-Step Guide

0:00 47:09

Abdominal organ procurement is a high-stakes operation that blends anatomy, speed, and coordinated teamwork. In this Behind the Knife episode, the UNMC transplant team walks through the practical “how-to” of deceased donor abdominal recovery—covering OR roles and logistics, key anatomic maneuvers, cannulation/flush troubleshooting, and the workflow differences that matter most between donation after brain death (DBD) and donation after circulatory death (DCD).

Hosts Madeline Cloonan, MD PhD – General Surgery Resident, University of Nebraska Medical Center (@maddie_cloonan) Evelyn Waugh, MD – Transplant Surgery Fellow, University of Nebraska Medical Center Jacqueline Dauch, MD – Abdominal Transplant Surgeon, University of Nebraska Medical Center Alex Maskin, MD – Kidney & Pancreas Transplant Surgeon, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Learning Objectives

• Compare DBD vs DCD donor workflow and define total vs functional warm ischemia. •

Identify key OR roles and the ethical/legal separation of death declaration from procurement teams.

• Outline the core steps of abdominal procurement, including exposure, cannulation, cross-clamp, and organ removal sequence. • Apply a practical troubleshooting approach when flush flow is inadequate

References

• Englesbe MJ, Mulholland MW. Operative Techniques in Transplantation Surgery. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer; 2018. • Tullius SG, Rabb H. Improving the supply and quality of deceased-donor organs for transplantation. N Engl J Med. 2018;378(20):1924–1933. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1708700. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29768153/ • Croome KP, Barbas AS, Whitson B, et al. American Society of Transplant Surgeons recommendations on best practices in donation after circulatory death organ procurement. Am J Transplant. 2023;23(2):171–179. doi:10.1016/j.ajt.2022.10.009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36695685/

Please visit https://behindtheknife.org to access other high-yield surgical education podcasts, videos and more. If you liked this episode, check out our recent episodes here: https://behindtheknife.org/listen Behind the Knife Premium: General Surgery Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/general-surgery-oral-board-review Trauma Surgery Video Atlas: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/trauma-surgery-video-atlas Dominate Surgery: A High-Yield Guide to Your Surgery Clerkship: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/dominate-surgery-a-high-yield-guide-to-your-surgery-clerkship Dominate Surgery for APPs: A High-Yield Guide to Your Surgery Rotation: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/dominate-surgery-for-apps-a-high-yield-guide-to-your-surgery-rotation Vascular Surgery Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/vascular-surgery-oral-board-audio-review Colorectal Surgery Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/colorectal-surgery-oral-board-audio-review Surgical Oncology Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/surgical-oncology-oral-board-audio-review Cardiothoracic Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/cardiothoracic-surgery-oral-board-audio-review Download our App: Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/behind-the-knife/id1672420049 Android/Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.btk.app&hl=en_US

Links in the notes 14

The episode on the publisher’s site

Transcript

    Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.