After Transplant

Outpatient Care and Monitoring

Ohio State's transplant team maintains an active role in your posttransplant life. You have an assigned coordinator and surgeon to ensure you receive personalized and coordinated follow-up care. We are also in regular communication with your family physician.

You are followed on an outpatient basis with vital signs and laboratory profiles two times per week for the first three months posttransplant. Lab profiles can be submitted by you but are most often collected by our outpatient lab. They are evaluated by a transplant coordinator and as appropriate, by a transplant surgeon. Further information is obtained from you if necessary, and you are instructed regarding treatment changes by telephone.

You are seen again in the outpatient clinic at three months posttransplant, six months, one year posttransplant, and at any other time in between if warranted. You are seen annually thereafter, unless more frequent visits are required. After you are released by your surgeon, you are seen by the Transplant Medicine Service. Lab frequency is reduced as you progress. Urine cultures and other additional information is obtained on an as-needed basis.

We communicate with your referring physician at the beginning and end of each hospitalization, as well as with each outpatient clinic visit. Follow up between your community physician and the transplant surgeon overseeing posttransplant care is encouraged at all times. Because of the many interactions of other medications with immunosuppressives, please check with the post transplant office prior to filling any prescription.

Extensive patient records are maintained by the posttransplant office in hard copy as well as in electronic format indefinitely. All clinical information and follow up is maintained in a transplant database. These electronically stored records are accessible by all members of the transplant team in multiple locations. Because your information is immediately available, it helps our transplant team manage your care at the highest level.

Transchart

You will have access to a patient version of the transplant electronic record called TransChart where you may view your medication list, lab values and vital signs. You can remotely enter your vital signs and lab values if you choose. TransChart is a unique and important tool for your recovery; you are encouraged to have this access.

You and your healthcare providers have access to a toll-free number which is staffed 24 hours a day by a transplant coordinator with immediate access to a transplant surgeon. The transplant team currently monitors the condition of more than 2,500 transplant recipients around the country. This unique service benefits you by providing access to the transplant team if you have questions regarding your transplant. Coupled with the electronic database, this service also provides a way to maintain constant contact with you so we can monitor your progress.

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