What is transplant anesthesia?
Transplant anesthesia is the specialty of anesthesia that manages surgeries involving organ transplants. Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants have physicians that are trained in many types of organ transplant procedures including:
  • liver transplant
  • kidney transplant
  • pancreas transplant
  • heart transplant
  • lung transplant
  • bone marrow transplant
  • and more

What is the difference between other forms of anesthesia and transplant anesthesia?
At Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants the anesthesiologists that specialize in organ transplant anesthesia understand and have the expertise to manage both the organ recipient and the organ donor. How anesthesia is delivered to you as the patient or the organ donor is extremely important to the quality of the organ, the viability of the transplant and the long term results.

What techniques may be used during transplant anesthesia?
During organ transplant anesthesia your anesthesiologist will use many specialized
techniques. One of the most important to transplant anesthesia is hemodynamic monitoring
and intravascular access.

Hemodynamic monitoring – This is the monitoring of blood movement through your body. Hemodynamic monitoring is important during transplant surgeries because it ensures that the organ, as well as the rest of your body, has consistent blood flow.
These devices include:
  • Central Venous Line or Pulmonary Artery Catheter- Placed prior to or after the induction
    of anesthesia, these catheters allow for direct measurement of hemodynamic and
    respiratory function and allow medications to be administered directly to the heart.
  • Arterial Line – The arterial line is also placed prior to or after induction of anesthesia
    into one of various arterial locations throughout the body, but most typically in the wrist.
    It allows the anesthesia team to continually monitor blood pressure and heart rate
    throughout surgery. It also allows for ongoing blood chemistry analysis without the need
    for further needle sticks.
  • Echocardiogram -This is a device that allows physicians to view the heart through an
    ultrasound technique. This procedure is also known as the cardiac ultrasound, cardiac
    echo, TEE, or echo. It allows the anesthesiologist and surgical team to review the
    cardiac function for many abnormalities and provides a real time analysis of cardiac
    function after a surgical repair.