Article: A Survey of Current Procurement Travel Practices, Accident Frequency, and Perceptions of Safety

Methods: A 32 question survey designed to interrogate travel practice, accident frequency, and perceptions of safety was sent to the American Society of Transplant Surgeons membership.

Results: Our survey response rate was 20.6%. At least 1 travel accident with bodily injury was reported by 23% of respondents and yet only 7% of respondents reported feeling "unsafe" or "very unsafe" during procurement travel. Sixteen percent of respondents participated in a procurement at a dedicated organ procurement facility, and only 53% of procurement surgeons completed at least 1 deceased donor procurement at their own hospital facility within the preceding 12 months.

Conclusions: In a field where increasingly aggressive organ utilization is the norm, the efficiency and safety of procurement travel merits ongoing consideration. Addressing these concerns takes on new significance as organ allocation policies change geographic distribution to expand the extent of travel required for surgical teams.

Citing Articles

Same-teams versus different-teams for long distance lung procurement: A cost analysis.

Olaso D, Halpern S, Krischak M, Au S, Jamieson I, Haney J J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2022; 165(3):908-919.e3.

PMID: 35840431 PMC: 9734279. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2022.05.040.

Advanced considerations in organ donors.

Shepherd H, Gauthier J, Puri V, Kreisel D, Nava R J Thorac Dis. 2022; 13(11):6528-6535.

PMID: 34992832 PMC: 8662482. DOI: 10.21037/jtd-2021-08.

Specialized Donor Care Facility Model and Advances in Management of Thoracic Organ Donors.

Bery A, Marklin G, Itoh A, Kreisel D, Takahashi T, Meyers B Ann Thorac Surg. 2021; 113(6):1778-1786.

PMID: 33421385 PMC: 8257761. DOI: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.12.026.

References

1.

Snyder J, Salkowski N, Wey A, Pyke J, Israni A, Kasiske B . Organ distribution without geographic boundaries: A possible framework for organ allocation. Am J Transplant. 2018; 18(11):2635-2640. DOI: 10.1111/ajt.15115. View

2.

Doyle M, Vachharajani N, Wellen J, Lowell J, Shenoy S, Ridolfi G . A novel organ donor facility: a decade of experience with liver donors. Am J Transplant. 2014; 14(3):615-20. DOI: 10.1111/ajt.12607. View

3.

Englesbe M, Shah S, Cutler J, Africano R, Lynch R, Seely M . Improving organ procurement travel practices in the United States: proceedings from the Michigan Donor Travel Forum. Am J Transplant. 2010; 10(3):458-63. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2009.02964.x. View

4.

Englesbe M, Merion R . The riskiest job in medicine: transplant surgeons and organ procurement travel. Am J Transplant. 2009; 9(10):2406-15. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2009.02774.x. View

5.

Gentry S, Massie A, Cheek S, Lentine K, Chow E, Wickliffe C . Addressing geographic disparities in liver transplantation through redistricting. Am J Transplant. 2013; 13(8):2052-8. PMC: 4674218. DOI: 10.1111/ajt.12301. View

6.

Doyle M, Subramanian V, Vachharajani N, Collins K, Wellen J, Stahlschmidt E . Organ Donor Recovery Performed at an Organ Procurement Organization-Based Facility Is an Effective Way to Minimize Organ Recovery Costs and Increase Organ Yield. J Am Coll Surg. 2016; 222(4):591-600. DOI: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2015.12.032. View

7.

Lindemann J, Dageforde L, Brockmeier D, Vachharajani N, Scherer M, Chapman W . Organ procurement center allows for daytime liver transplantation with less resource utilization: May address burnout, pipeline, and safety for field of transplantation. Am J Transplant. 2018; 19(5):1296-1304. DOI: 10.1111/ajt.15129. View

8.

Hon H, Wojda T, Barry N, MacBean U, Anagnostakos J, Evans D . Injury and fatality risks in aeromedical transport: focus on prevention. J Surg Res. 2016; 204(2):297-303. DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2016.05.003. View

9.

Lynch R, Mathur A, Hundley J, Kubus J, Pietroski R, Mattice B . Improving organ procurement practices in Michigan. Am J Transplant. 2009; 9(10):2416-23. PMC: 4559330. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2009.02784.x. View

10.

Smith N . A National Perspective on Ambulance Crashes and Safety. Guidance from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on ambulance safety for patients and providers. EMS World. 2015; 44(9):91-2, 94. View

11.

Bittermann T, Goldberg D . Liver redistricting: what are the upcoming changes in liver allocation in the United States?. Curr Opin Organ Transplant. 2016; 22(2):112-117. DOI: 10.1097/MOT.0000000000000383. View