Where is a pancreas transplant

The kidney transplant may be done earlier or even after the pancreas transplant. In a pancreas transplant, your own pancreas remains in your body. The surgeon generally connects the new pancreas to your intestines so its digestive juices can drain. Instead, the new pancreas will create insulin for you. You can eat a regular diet, too. Candidates for pancreas transplantation generally have type 1 diabetes, usually along with kidney damage, nerve damage, eye problems, or another complication of the disease.

Usually, healthcare providers consider a transplant for someone whose diabetes is out of control even with medical treatment. This is true especially when low blood sugar hypoglycemia has been a long-lasting problem. This is because the operation places a major strain on the body and may mean the risks outweigh the potential benefits. Age is not a factor in determining whether a pancreas transplant is suitable, although the procedure is rarely performed in older people because they often have other health problems that mean a transplant is too risky.

The final decision about whether you're suitable for a pancreas transplant is made by the transplant team. But if your case is not straightforward, it may be several weeks before you're told the decision.

In some cases, further tests are necessary to make a final decision, or you may be referred to a different transplant centre for a second opinion. Page last reviewed: 11 June Next review due: 11 June This is because the risk of rejection is greatly reduced.

However, there have been many transplants performed using a living donor, with one kidney and a pancreas segment being donated. Medicare pays for many of the kidney-pancreas transplant costs. If you have private insurance, you should check with your insurance agent about coverage for this transplant. This may help to pay for some of the costs. The social worker or a financial counselor at your transplant center may be able to help you find local, state or national programs that can help with the costs of the transplant and post-operation treatment, including needed medicines.

Start by speaking to your doctor about whether a kidney-pancreas transplant would be a good treatment choice for you. You will be referred to a transplant center.

You will need to speak to the transplant coordinator at the center, who will make plans for you to have a complete medical evaluation. This evaluation will help you and your healthcare team decide whether the transplant would be a good choice for you. In general, patients with type 1 diabetes and kidney failure are considered for kidney-pancreas transplants only if they do not have other serious problems related to diabetes, such as heart disease or severe blood vessel disease.

You will meet with many transplant team members including a transplant surgeon, a kidney doctor, a transplant coordinator and a social worker at the transplant center. In addition to a medical history review and physical examination, you may receive:. If all the tests go well, you will be accepted for a kidney-pancreas transplant and placed on the transplant center's waiting list.

In the kidney-pancreas transplant operation, the pancreas is placed on the right side of your lower abdomen and the kidney is placed in the left side of the lower abdomen. Usually, your own kidneys and pancreas are not removed.

The surgical procedure usually lasts four to six hours, and your hospital stay is usually two to four weeks. After the surgery, the pancreas begins to make insulin within hours, and the blood sugar is controlled.

From this point on, insulin shots are usually not needed unless the body rejects the new pancreas. You will need to have regular check-ups with blood tests and imaging tests for many years. If the transplant is successful, you will no longer need to take insulin shots, test your blood-sugar daily, or follow a diabetes diet. There is evidence that the complications of diabetes, such as diabetic retinopathy, may not get worse and may even improve after a pancreas-kidney transplant.

You must take medicines that prevent rejection of the transplanted pancreas and kidney for the rest of your life. Becker Y, Witkowski P. Kidney and pancreas transplantation. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap Pancreas and islet allotransplantation.

In: Yeo CJ, ed. Shackelford's Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Updated by: Debra G. Editorial team. Pancreas transplant. Why the Procedure is Performed. Risks of anesthesia and surgery in general include: Reactions to medicines Breathing problems Risks of pancreas transplant include: Clotting thrombosis of the arteries or veins of the new pancreas Development of certain cancers after a few years Inflammation of the pancreas pancreatitis Leakage of fluid from the new pancreas where it attaches to the intestine or bladder Rejection of the new pancreas.

Before the Procedure. Tests done before the procedure include: Tissue and blood typing to help make sure your body will not reject the donated organs Blood tests or skin tests to check for infections Heart tests such as an ECG , echocardiogram , or cardiac catheterization Tests to look for early cancer You will also want to consider one or more transplant centers to determine which is best for you: Ask the center how many transplants they perform every year and what their survival rates are.