Simulation in Transplant Surgery

Transplant surgery is a complicated field that has continued to evolve over the last few decades. It is one of the most regulated fields in medicine given the critical nature of the patients and the scarcity of available organs. Much has been done to establish protocols that increase the safety of transplant surgery. This includes procedures for the donor/procurement phase as well as the recipient/transplant phase. Education through various types of simulation has greatly enhanced the field at both these phases and has allowed caregivers to become knowledgeable about the pitfalls that can occur when taking care of a donor or recipient, dealing with difficult patient family encounters, enhancing the surgical trainee’s experience, and ensuring the proper treatment and delivery of donor organs. Without the development of this intricate interwoven network of staff with all aspects of transplant, we would not have achieved the success and level of safety that current transplant recipients experience today.