10A N.C. Admin. Code 13B.5505

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 8, October 15, 2024

Section 13B .5505 - PERIOPERATIVE CARE AND FACILITY SUPPORT

(a) The donor surgical team shall have primary concern and responsibility for the donor's care and welfare throughout his or her entire hospital stay. The donor surgical team consists of the donor surgeon, his or her surgical and medical partners, fellows, residents, and physician assistants or nurse practitioners.

(b) Preoperative Preparation

(1) The facility shall have the ability to allow donors to bank a minimum of one unit of blood before surgery. Facilities shall have the ability to store and transfuse autologous blood;

(2) The transplant coordinator or another team member shall be assigned the responsibility of providing updates to the families of both the donor and transplant recipient during the surgical procedures; and

(3) For live donor liver procedures, surgeries shall be scheduled only when staffing will be available for the postoperative period. If surgery is scheduled on a Thursday or Friday, the hospital shall ensure that there is adequate attending physician, resident physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner, and registered nursing coverage during the weekend.

(c) Postoperative Care

(1) After live donor nephrectomy, the patient shall receive post-operative care equivalent to that provided for abdominal procedures under general anesthesia; and

(2) For live liver donors:

(A) Day 0-1: The live adult liver donor shall receive care in the intensive care unit (ICU) or post-anesthesia care unit (PACU);

(B) Day 2: If stable and cleared for transfer by the donor surgical team, the donor shall be cared for in a hospital unit that is dedicated to the care of transplant recipients or a hospital unit in which patients who undergo hepatobiliary resectional surgery are provided care. Liver donors shall not at any time be cared for on any other unit unless a specific medical condition of the donor warrants such a transfer;

(C) The donor shall be evaluated at least daily by a liver transplant attending physician with documentation in the medical record;

(D) The donor surgical team shall be responsible for the clinical management of the donor;

(E) The patient care staff shall be familiar with the common complications associated with the donor and transplant recipient operations and have appropriate monitoring in place to detect these problems if they arise; and

(F) If there is an emergent complication requiring re-operation, these patients shall be prioritized for access to the operating room based on the facility's operating room policies and guidelines.

(d) Medical Staffing. For live donor nephrectomy patients, there shall be continuous physician coverage available for patient evaluation as needed. These patients shall be provided post-operative care equivalent to patients undergoing a nephrectomy.

(e) Nurse Staffing

(1) Nursing staff shall be familiar with recovery of nephrectomy patients. They shall be aware of the signs and symptoms of hypovolemia due to post-operative bleeding or to excessive diuresis. They shall have ready access to the surgical team responsible for the patient's post-operative care;

(2) For live liver donors, nursing staff shall have ongoing education and training in live donor liver transplantation nursing care for both donors and recipients. This shall include education on the pain management issues particular to the donor. The registered nursing to patient ratio in the ICU or PACU level setting shall be appropriate for the acuity level of the patients. For live liver donors, the same registered nurse shall not take care of both the donor and the recipient. For live liver donors, the nursing service shall provide the potential donor with pre-surgical information including, if possible, a tour of the unit before surgery; and

(3) For all donors, the names and beeper numbers of the donor surgical team or team responsible for the donor's post-operative surgical care (e.g. urology service or laparoscopic general surgery service for some donor nephrectomy patients) shall be posted on all units receiving transplant donors.

(f) Radiology. For facilities performing live donor nephrectomies, radiological staff shall be available for pre-operative assessment, peri-operative care, and post-operative follow-up as required.

10A N.C. Admin. Code 13B .5505

Authority G.S. 131E-75; 131E-79; 143B-165;
Eff. April 1, 2006;
Pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A, rule is necessary without substantive public interest Eff. July 22, 2017.

Authority G.S. 131E-75; 131E-79; 143B-165;
Eff. April 1, 2006.