Shands HealthCare at the University of Florida in Gainesville has suspended its liver and pancreas transplant programs after three of its four surgeons suddenly left after accepting positions elsewhere, according to an Orlando Sentinel report.
The three surgeons departed Shands to work at transplant centers at the University of Minnesota, Emory University in Atlanta and Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.
Shands officials say the suspension is voluntary and temporary as the center works to recruit multi-organ surgeons who can perform liver, pancreas and kidney transplants. The 125 patients waiting for a new liver or pancreas will be placed on another hospital list until Shands can reopen its program.
“If you have a busy transplant program, and you lose even a couple surgeons, it’s a major blow,” Kevin Behrns, MD, chairman of surgery at UF’s College of Medicine, said in the report.
Shands hopes to reactivate the transplant programs within a few months, according to the report.
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