Update Guidance on Optimizing VCA Recovery

At a glance

Current policy

The VCA Committee released a guidance document on effective practices in VCA transplants, for Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs), in 2018. VCA transplant is an expanding field and quickly growing with new effective practices and protocols. As such, the VCA Committee has updated the 2018 guidance document to produce this 2023 guidance document, Update Guidance on Optimizing VCA Recovery. The purpose of this guidance document is to increase the recovery and transplantation of VCA organs. This document intends to provide guidance to OPOs that are considering collaboration with VCA transplant programs and support VCA transplant programs as they pursue VCA transplantation.

Supporting media

Presentation

View presentation

Proposed guidance

This 2023 updated guidance document includes VCA programs and OPOs as the target audience and includes information on how programs and OPOs can collaborate to increase recovery.
Provides background and recommends key effective practices for VCA recovery, including broad guidance on:
- Donor identification and evaluation
- Family considerations
- Recovery and post- recovery considerations
- Media and public relations strategies

Anticipated impact

What it's expected to do
- Increase recovery and transplant of VCA organs
- Recommend key effective practices for VCA recovery
- Highlight the importance of collaboration between OPOs and transplant programs when engaging in VCA recovery and transplant
- Expand VCA visibility in the transplant community
What it won't do
- Provide detailed clinical information on VCA recovery and transplant

Terms to know

Vascularized Composite Allograft (VCA): VCA transplantation is the transplantation of a composite tissue that may include skin, muscle, bone, and nerves and that requires blood flow to function after the transplant.
Transplant Program: A component within a transplant hospital that provides transplantation of a particular type of organ.
Organ Procurement Organization (OPO): An organization authorized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, under Section 1138(b) of the Social Security Act, to procure organs for transplantation.