Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1368868
31 PATIENT SAFETY AND OUTCOMES Surgeon defends Zoom hearing from OR, says patient safety was not jeopardized By Erica Carbajal A plastic surgeon in Northern Califor- nia who appeared for a virtual court hearing from the operating room while another surgeon was performing a faceli in the background said the situation was misunderstood, local NBC affiliate KCRA reported March 8. Gary Link, Sacramento Superior Court commissioner, declined to proceed with a traffic court hearing Feb. 25 and said it would have to be rescheduled when Scott Green, MD, logged on to the Zoom meeting from the OR. Dr. Green, dressed in surgical gear, insisted he was ready to proceed as another surgeon was working on the patient. e Medical Board of California said it was investigating the incident. "is was our last case," Dr. Green told KCRA in his first interview since the hearing video went viral. "We were about halfway through it, through all the critical parts," adding that it's not unusual to take a phone call from the OR. "To me, taking a call in the OR is something that occurs all the time — not a Zoom call to traffic court because I've never been to traffic court." Dr. Green said he handed the case off to a surgeon he was training who had five years of experience. Jeffrey Segal, MD, a former neurosurgeon and Dr. Green's attorney, said the situation is a "giant misunderstanding picked up by the internet" and clarified there were no patient safety issues. "We've already sent a preemptive statement explaining there was no patient safety issue," Dr. Segal told the news outlet. "ere was no confidentiality problem. I fully ex- pect and anticipate the board will not have a problem with this." Several surgeons who spoke to KCRA said taking phone calls or leaving the OR is nor- mal when other surgeons are present. "When you've got two fully qualified, fully trained plastic surgeons in the room, one could actually leave and go have a sandwich if he wanted to," said Troy Andreasen, MD, a plastic surgeon who trained with Dr. Green. A spokesperson for the state's medical board told the news outlet the board was reviewing the incident but did not address whether a formal investigation had been launched. n New York City's Mount Sinai performs world's 1st tracheal transplant By Erica Carbajal S urgeons at New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System performed the world's first human tracheal transplant during an 18-hour procedure in January, marking the launch of its tracheal transplant program, the health system said April 6. Providing blood supply to the trachea has been one of the largest barriers to successfully transplanting the organ. The procedure is the culmination of the efforts of more than 50 specialists and 30 years of research at Mount Sinai. Given the large number of COVID-19 patients who have sustained tracheal damage and airway disease from intu- bation, the team anticipates a growing number of people will benefit from the novel surgery. The recipient, a 56-year-old woman from New York City, underwent the procedure Jan. 13. Her trachea was severe- ly damaged from a bad asthma attack that led to repeated intubations. The organ was further damaged after failed surgical reconstruction attempts. She had been breathing through a tracheostomy tube and faced a high risk of suf- focation if her trachea collapsed. After removing the trachea and related blood vessels from the donor, the team, led by Eric Genden, MD, reconstruct- ed the organ once it was inside her. Surgeons then con- nected the small blood vessels responsible for supplying the donor trachea with the recipient's blood vessels, and used a portion of the esophagus and thyroid gland to help establish blood flow to the trachea. "Seeing the graft come alive and knowing that the organ was well vascularized was an amazing experience," said Dr. Gende, who is chair of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at Mount Sinai. "Knowing that this procedure and 30 years of research will save countless lives was indescrib- able. It's why we do what we do, to make a difference." n "Knowing that this procedure and 30 years of research will save countless lives was indescribable. It's why we do what we do, to make a difference." - Eric Genden, MD, chair of otolaryngology, Mount Sinai