Transplant recipients (TR) often require other general surgical procedures; however, it is controversial who should provide surgical and peri-operative care for this unique population. While trained in general surgery, transplant surgeons, the key stakeholders in the care of TR, do not uniformly perform acute care and general surgery procedures on all TR. We sought to quantify surgeon practices and preferences regarding general surgery in TR.

METHODS: We administered a nationally-distributed, anonymous survey of 20 questions to ASTS members to study transplant surgeon practice patterns and perspectives on performing acute care surgery (ACS) on TR.

RESULTS: We received responses from 147 (20.7%) transplant surgeons, of whom 91.2% included general surgery in their scope of practice. Although only 11.7% reported taking general surgery call, 67.3% believed that transplant surgeons should perform ACS on TR, and 77.4% felt comfortable performing laparoscopic ACS on TR. For an ACS need in transplant recipients, 65.5% would rarely or never ask for assistance from an ACS colleague. Most (87.2%) felt that TR should be transferred to transplant centers for ACS needs whenever possible, and 95.9% believed TR received better overall care at transplant centers.

CONCLUSION: Most transplant surgeons reported that they are capable of and responsible for performing general surgery on transplant recipients. Most believed recipients should be transferred to transplant centers for ACS needs whenever possible, particularly recent recipients or those in organ failure. Elucidating transplant surgeon perspectives helps identify common goals and recommendations for optimal care in this unique population.

CITATION INFORMATION: DiBrito S., Bowring M., Rasmussen S., Haugen C., Holscher C., Zonnenberg N., Henderson M., Segev D., Garonzik-Wang J. Transplant Surgeon Perspectives on General Surgery in Transplant Recipients Am J Transplant. 2017;17 (suppl 3).

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