FDA: Use Of Surgical Clips Contraindicated For Kidney Donor Surgeries.

CNN  (6/21, Bonifield, Cohen) reports that Teleflex surgical clips to close the renal artery during transplant surgery are not considered safe for use during "laparoscopic kidney donor surgeries." Beginning "in 2004, transplant surgeons...began raising concerns about using clips in kidney donors, sending letters to the US Food and Drug Administration and making presentations at transplant conferences and publishing articles in medical journals." While instructions with the clip packaging "state the clips should not be used on kidney donors," such instructions are not typically kept in operating rooms and may be overlooked by surgical teams. Following the death of a patient in 2011, the fifth since 2001, "FDA issued a safety notification reminding surgeons that the clips are contraindicated for kidney donor surgeries."