Pancreas Transplant
 
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Pancreas Transplant Evaluation & First Visit

From day one, you’ll receive comprehensive, compassionate care from our multidisciplinary pancreas transplant team. They will answer all your questions and thoroughly assess your condition to determine your best treatment option. If a pancreas transplant isn't right, we'll discuss alternative treatments with you.

Before your visit

Ask your physician and dialysis team to supply all relevant medical information to us before your initial evaluation, including:

  • Clinical summaries of physical examinations
  • Surgical and biopsy reports
  • Results from any diagnostic tests, including X-rays, heart studies and lab reports

Transplant evaluation

During your first visit, you will meet with our transplant coordinator, transplant financial coordinator and transplant social worker. Together, you'll review the transplant process, your financial needs and your psychosocial needs.

After your first visit, our pancreas doctors will conduct physical examinations to ensure your body is strong enough to undergo transplant surgery and determine your compatibility with living donors. Transplant evaluation tests can take from two to six months to complete.

The tests we perform depend on your specific condition and may include:

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  • These include identifying your blood type, i.e., A, B, O or AB, antibody levels and crossmatching to determine whether you'll accept or reject a particular pancreas.

  • This painless and harmless test uses high-frequency sound waves to make images of the insides of the two large arteries in your neck.

  • This test uses intravenous, or IV, drugs to evaluate how the heart responds to stress.

  • This test examines the lungs and lower respiratory tract to help detect infection or abnormalities in your lungs and to assess the size of your heart.
  • This noninvasive test shows the blood flow through the arteries and veins in the lower abdomen and legs. It reveals any narrowing caused by hardening of the arteries or other vessel diseases.
  • This ensures you do not have infections, cavities or gum disease.
  • This noninvasive test uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart. Echocardiograms use no radiation and show more detail than X-ray images.
  • An EKG shows the rate your heart is beating and any abnormal or extra beats. It will show any blockage that changes the normal electrical signal path through the heart muscle.
  • Women have a Pap smear and mammogram.
  • We check for infections and measure how well your kidneys get rid of wastes.

When you're approved for pancreas transplant

Once your transplant is approved, your case is officially activated. The transplant coordinator will add you to the waiting list of United Network of Organ Sharing. We'll also inform your doctor of your transplant status.

While you're on the waiting list

It's critical that we have all your current telephone and pager numbers to reach you. You'll also need periodic lab work and yearly tests to be sure you are still a transplant candidate.

Related links

Evaluation and First Visit
Transplant Recovery and Follow Up