12 NEWS
12 NEWS
14 FEBRUARY 2025 ausdoc . com . au
Surgeons blow up over organs
Dr Zachary Kon .
Carmel Sparke A TRANSPLANT doctor has described how tensions can rise during organ retrievals on dead patients , with surgeons in one case coming close to fisticuffs over where to cut the inferior vena cava .
Dr Zachary Kon stressed that the problems were arising because several surgeons , each intent on their own retrieval , might be working to remove different organs
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The cardiothoracic surgeon , based in the US , described a series of incidents — including his own “ mortifying ” outbursts — as part of an appeal for better behaviour from his transplant peers .
“ In one instance , I witnessed a heart surgeon and liver surgeon working on the same donor nearly come to blows over where to cut a vessel .
“ The vessel of contention : the inferior vena cava ( IVC ). Fighting over who got more of the IVC was like children fighting for a toy .
“ Neither really needed all that much of it , and there was more than enough IVC for them to share .”
Writing on the MedPage Today website , he said one factor was that top-flight surgeons were needed to do
‘ I just lost it . I yelled and cursed at the personnel .’
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Bowel cancer screening the retrievals but they were often travelling from their big city hospitals to smaller centres where they suddenly found themselves no longer in charge but “ visitors and equals ” in the operating theatre .
Dr Kon , founder of the organ procurement organisation ProCure On-Demand , admitted to his own bad behaviour when a flush to preserve a heart had gone wrong and could have put his recipient ’ s transplant in jeopardy .
“ I just lost it . I yelled and cursed at the operating room personnel while working on a late-night , out-of-town recovery early in my career ,” he said .
In the end , the heart was fine , but the organ procurement team admonished Dr Kon for his outburst , which was also filmed as it was a medical examiner case .
He later realised he was working with a thinly staffed night team with little experience in organ donation that was making “ extraordinary efforts ” to provide organs to several patients .
Such battles were an “ embarrassment to medicine ” and usually accomplished nothing , he admitted .
“ We surgeons should check our self-interests and our egos at the operating room door .
“ I am by no means perfect , but I have learnt from my mistakes in donor operating rooms and want to see us do better as a transplant community .” MedPage Today ; 5 Jan 2025 .
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