1. Will I be transferred to the intensive care unit?

Yes, after your transplant surgery is completed you will be admitted to the transplant ICU on the 7th Floor. NZTI has a dedicated transplant ICU run by board certified critical care physicians and highly competent transplant nurses.

2. Why do I need to be in the ICU after my transplant?

The first few days of your transplant are very critical. Close monitoring is the key for successful recovery. The ICU team will monitor the function of your transplanted organ and can detect any complications at an early stage when a timely and proper intervention can be instituted.

You are in the experts' hands.

3. Who will take care of me in the ICU?

The transplant ICU at NZTI has a strong and highly trained team who will be waiting for you before your arrival to the ICU. The team is orchestrated by board certified intensivists with extensive experience in organ transplantation along with experienced nurses, respiratory therapist, physical therapist, dietitian, pharmacist, and speech therapist. Your surgeon and physician will be part of the day-to-day management while in the ICU. Your care will be in expert hands.

4. Is the transplant ICU only for post-transplant patients?

No, the transplant ICU provides comprehensive care for patients before and after transplant. Patients before transplant with decompensated liver, heart and lung diseases, and patients who develop complications after transplant such as infection and patients with pulmonary hypertension who require diagnostic studies will also be admitted to the transplant ICU.

5. Can you tell me about the ICU environment?

The transplant ICU is a 12-bed unit dedicated for all types of solid organ transplant. Each patient will be in his own room. While in your room you will be surrounded by machines such as Monitors, breathing machine and intravenous medication pumps. There are many people in the ICU but there will be one nurse assigned to take care of you. You will also have your own TV in the room.

INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center has recently added state-of-the-art ventilators  to its ICU.

6. Will I be awake?

Immediately after your surgery you will still be under the effect of anesthesia, therefore you will be sedated. But most patients will be fully awake with two to four hours after arriving in the ICU.

7. Will I breathe on my own?

Most patients with renal and pancreas transplant will not need to be on breathing machines. Patients with liver and heart transplant will be connected to a breathing machine (ventilator) through a breathing tube (endotracheal tube). Once you are fully awake and can breathe on your own the breathing tube will be removed and you will be disconnected from the breathing machine. 

8. How long will I be on the breathing machine?

You will be connected to the breathing machine by the breathing tube.

Once you are fully awake you will be disconnected from the breathing machine. Most patients with renal and pancreas transplant will not need to be on breathing machines. Patients with liver and heart transplant spend an average of fout to six hours on the breathing machine after their transplant. Patients with lung transplant in our ICU will be able to breathe without breathing machines within 24 hours.

9. How am I going to be monitored in the ICU?

You will be continuously monitored using state-of-the-art monitoring machines.

You are going to be connected to a monitor through different lines and wires. These wires and lines will continuously measure your blood pressure, oxygen level, heart rate, heart rhythm and pressures within your heart and lungs. You are also going to have tubes to drain fluid and blood from around your liver, heart, lungs, pancreas or kidneys depending on which organ has been transplanted. As your condition improves the medical team will start getting rid of some these tube and lines.

10. Who will update my family?

As soon as your surgery is completed and you arrive in the ICU the surgeon and the ICU team will talk to your family members and update them about your condition. There is a waiting room outside the ICU on the 7th Floor where your family members can wait. We always recommend assigning one family member who can be updated by the ICU team about your progress. This family member then can update the rest of the family and friends.

11. When will I be able to eat?

In the first 24 hours you will be able to have sips of water and ice chips. Then you will have clear liquid and we will advance your diet as tolerated. We have been successful in NZTI to start some sort of diet within six hours after removing the breathing machine.

12. Will my pain be addressed?

We are proud in NZTI to have a specialized pain management team who works very closely with the transplant team to take care of your pain. The ICU nurse will assess your need and your pain medications will be administered in a timely manner.

13. What about my nausea?

It is normal to have some nausea after the transplant due to the stress of surgery and anesthesia. Make sure that you tell your nurse so they can administer medications to relieve your nausea.

14. How will I know if my transplanted organ is working?

The ICU team will closely monitor the function of your transplanted organ. They will do daily blood tests, ultrasounds and X-rays. Based on the results of these tests they will be able to determine how your transplanted organ is functioning.

A kidney dialysis machine can provide continuous dialysis.

15. Will my transplanted heart need any kind of support?

Initially the new transplanted heart might be slightly lazy requiring some support. Most of this support will be in the form of intravenous medications. These medications will be weaned off within 24-48 hours.

16. Will I be in bed during my ICU stay?

No, a dedicated physical and occupational therapist will work with you from the first day to regain your strength. They will design a specific program tailored for each individual patient. Most of our patients at NZTI transplant ICU will be out of bed as early as six to eight hours after removing the breathing machine.

17. How long will I stay in the ICU?

Most patients with kidney-pancreas and liver transplants stay in the ICU for one to three days. Patients with heart and lung transplants typically stay for two to four days.

18. Where will I go after my ICU stay?

Once the critical period has passed you will be transferred to a specialized transplant floor where you will continue rehabilitation and medical care.

19. Will I be able to see my surgeon and physician in the ICU?

Yes, the ICU team works very closely with your surgeon and physician during your ICU stay. Your surgeon, physicians and the critical care physician, will have a daily round to assess your progress.

Our smiling staff members are always there to help you and your family.

20. Can my family visit me in the ICU?

Certainly. The transplant ICU has certain visiting hours and your family and friends are welcome to visit you during these hours. Children will not be allowed to visit you. Visitors with illnesses that could be potentially infectious will not be allowed to visit.

21. Can people bring me flowers?

Flowers will not be allowed in your room, to decrease the risk of infections.


Information prepared by Adel E. Ghuloom, M.D.