A pancreas transplant is a surgery in which a healthy pancreas from a donor is transplanted into someone whose pancreas is not working properly, usually due to severe diabetes.

Severe type I diabetes is usually accompanied by chronic renal (kidney) failure.. As a result, a person who needs a pancreas transplant may also need a kidney transplant.. There are three types of pancreas transplants:

• Combined kidney and pancreas transplant, in which the pancreas and kidney are transplanted during one operation.
• Pancreas after kidney transplant, where the pancreas transplant is done some time after the kidney transplant.
• Pancreas only transplant, in which only the pancreas is transplanted... This surgery is performed for patients with functioning kidneys.

Learn more: Organ donation

Who is a candidate for a pancreas transplant?

A team of experienced specialists evaluates a person to determine if they are a good candidate for a pancreas transplant. Usually only people with severe diabetes, usually type 1 or juvenile diabetes, are considered for this.

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If a person is considered a candidate for a pancreas transplant, they will be placed on a waiting list....the evaluation team will consider many factors to decide whether to place the person on the transplant waiting list....the person's general health will be considered for major surgery...pancreas transplants are not performed on people with certain conditions such as:

• incurable cancers
• Infections such as tuberculosis that cannot be completely cured.
• Severe heart, lung or liver problems or complications from diabetes that make this surgery very dangerous

What happens during pancreas transplant surgery?

During this surgery, the donor's pancreas is transplanted into the recipient and the person's pancreas is not removed. The pancreas must be transplanted into the patient's body within a few hours after it is removed from the donor's body.... A team of surgeons and anesthesiologists perform this surgery to remove the pancreas from the donor's body.. kidneys.

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For more information about pancreas transplants, you can consult the in-house experts at GCORP LLC.

Life after pancreas transplant surgery

After a pancreas transplant, anti-rejection drugs are prescribed to prevent the immune system from rejecting the transplanted organ.. A person being considered for a transplant must be willing to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of their lives.. In addition, they must be willing to undergo lifelong follow-up tests

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