Postoperative Transplant Immunosuppression in the Critical Care Unit

Activity Summary

Solid organ transplant is a growing treatment option for many end-stage diseases. Kidney, liver, pancreas, small bowel, heart, and lung organs are all transplanted in the United States, and a registry is maintained through the United Network for Organ Sharing (http://www.unos.org ). The type of organ transplanted determines postoperative care of the patient and requirement for immediate care in a critical care setting. In most transplant centers, recipients of kidney transplants will receive postoperative care in an acute care floor, unless hemodynamic compromise during surgery is a concern or high acuity nursing care is unavailable in a step-down unit. All other transplant recipients will receive postoperative care in an intensive care unit (ICU) as a standard of care, which accommodates invasive monitoring strategies, the use of medication drips, intensive nursing care, and hemodynamic support.

Objectives

Describe the functional differences between the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system.
Describe the purpose of immunosuppression therapy for solid organ transplantation.
Identify the role of steroids in immunosuppression therapy.

Continuing Education Disclosure Statement

Successful Completion

Learners must attend/view/read the entire activity and complete the associated evaluation to be awarded the contact hours or CERP. No partial credit will be awarded.

Disclosure

This activity has been reviewed by the Nurse Planner. It has been determined that the material presented here shows no bias. Approval of a continuing education activity does not imply endorsement by AACN or ANCC of any commercial products displayed or discussed in conjunction with the activity.

Accreditation

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is accredited with distinction as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC's) Commission on Accreditation, ANCC Provider Number 0012 (60 min contact hour). AACN has been approved as a provider of continuing education in nursing by the California State Board of Nursing, California Provider number CEP01036 contact hours (50 min contact hour).

AACN programming meets the standards for most states that require mandatory continuing education contact hours for license and/or certification renewal. AACN recommends consulting with your state board of nursing or credentialing organization before submitting CE to fulfill continuing education requirements.