The Abdominal Procurement Surgeon supports the mission, goals and strategic plan of South Florida Donor Network, Inc. (SFDN) by providing support for procurement operations. They are tasked with skillfully conducting surgical dissection and recovering abdominal organs, including the liver, kidneys, and pancreas, intended for both transplantation and research purposes. In addition, they are responsible for the intraoperative evaluation of organ quality, encompassing the performance of intraoperative liver biopsies to assess organ viability. The surgeon plays a pivotal role in the cannulation of liver grafts onto various ex-vivo machine perfusion platforms such as OrganOx and normothermic regional perfusion. Effective communication with implanting surgeons regarding organ quality and addressing any anatomical issues is crucial in ensuring smooth transplantation procedures. Furthermore, the surgeon assumes a role in education by providing guidance and instruction to residents, fellows, and first assistants involved in abdominal organ recovery, contributing to the development of proficiency within the team in this essential field.

• Participate in SFDN abdominal organ recovery surgery to local and national standards for organ transplantation.
• In conjunction with SFDN staff, review data regarding organ utilization with designated transplant centers; recommend changes in practice when necessary to increase utilization and ensure protocols are consistent with current standards of practice.
• Provide advice and counsel to SFDN staff when addressing potential adverse events/reactions/outcome reports, surgical errors, potential disease transmissions, or complaints that are medical in nature, have potential medical consequences, or that may affect the safety of recovered organs.
• Reviews any reports of surgical damage; provides follow up to transplant surgeons in the cases of reported occurrences.
• Assist in the development, review and approval of new and existing surgical policies and preservation procedures in the recovery, evaluation, and placement of donated organs.
• Adheres to quality standards and legal compliance with regulatory and accreditation agencies (CMS, UNOS, AOPO, FDA, OSHA, CDC).
• Attends Organ Donor Committees and Quality Assurance Process Improvement (QAPI) at donor and transplant hospitals on an ad-hoc basis and works with SFDN teams at these hospitals on innovative ways to enhance donation and transplantation.
• Acts as a liaison with transplant surgeons and physicians from transplant centers, to ensure their understanding and compliance with all recovery policies and procedures.
• Actively participates in organ case review meetings; assists with problem solving and quality process improvement activities and provides direction to SFDN staff in regard to recovery, allocation and perfusion of donated organs.
• Oversite of the kidney perfusion laboratory in conjunction with the Director of Organ Services.
• Acts as a spokesperson for SFDN with respect to local, state, and national organizations and agencies as indicated.
• Employees must adhere to and remain in full compliance with SFDN’s Motor Vehicle Driving Policy as outlined in the Motor Vehicle Records and Driver Safety policy PC.334.