Updated Protocols for Anesthesia in Transplantation Surgery: A Literature Review

Abstract

The human body is a complex working machinery. There is a lot that goes on within the body of a human being. However, the secret to its success lies in the fact that despite dealing with several stressful events, noxious stimuli, and infectious micro-organisms that are otherwise waiting to take over the body, its defense system and immune functioning do not let anything harmful slide by. It is always due to the diligent working of these complex fighting mechanisms that take care of all the noxious stimuli and ensure that the body keeps working smoothly and as effectively as ever. However, in extreme cases, things turn so negatively that the body’s organs and entire organ systems might be compromised. There are several underlying causes that lead up to this sequelae, however, the most common causes are the failure of these organs due to impending conditions that have been building up and causing other complications in the affected patient’s body for so long. Although replacing body organs is not as easy as surgically removing them, there are transplantation options available for several body organs. Bone marrow, liver, kidney, and heart are among the most commonly transplanted organs. However, there is an extensive criteria that needs to be fulfilled when opting for transplantation in an affected patient. Only if a patient fulfills all the carefully selected criteria is when they are given a clearance to proceed with the procedure. Just like this criteria, various other steps need to be assured as well in context of the operating teams, surgeons, and the anesthetic procedures. This review aims to deal with the perspective of anesthesia in patients undergoing transplantation surgeries. This review will go into the details of how an anesthesia is chosen for a particular patient, depending upon the complexity of their procedure. This, in turn, would help in educating the new physicians and anesthetists to become aware of how things proceed after a patient is kept on-list for a transplantation procedure.