Transplant Institute
The Transplant Institute, part of the Department of Surgery, offers nationally recognized patient care, research programs, and education and training opportunities.
How to Prepare for Pancreas Transplant
Successful surgery begins with careful preparation
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You’re on the Pancreas Transplant Waitlist, What’s Next?
If your eligibility evaluation determines that you’re a good candidate for a pancreas transplant, we begin our work to help you prepare.
We can’t tell you when a pancreas will become available. But we can make sure that you’ll be ready, whether you’re waiting for a pancreas alone, a simultaneous pancreas and kidney (SPK) transplant, or a pancreas transplant after a kidney transplant. We provide the education, medical care and emotional support to help your transplant be successful.
The Pancreas Match Process
The New England Donor Services (NEDS) is the organ procurement organization for BIDMC. It coordinates the sharing of available organs through the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and helps ensure equal access to everyone who needs a pancreas transplant.
UNOS maintains the national organ transplant waitlist and matches pancreas donors with potential pancreas transplant recipients.
The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients publishes center-specific reports with a wide range of useful information about transplant programs operating in the United States. The information includes many features of the BIDMC transplant program, such as the number of transplants performed in recent years, waiting time and waitlist outcomes, and the post-transplant experience of our patients. The statistics allow comparisons to national averages, as well as to the experience of similar patients at other centers in the country. The waitlist report is based on BIDMC data for patients transplanted within the last five years.
While You Wait for Your Transplant
While you’re waiting for a pancreas to become available, we ask you to submit monthly blood tests. You come to the Transplant Institute periodically and during these visits we monitor your physical health and mental well-being. During these visits we monitor your physical health and mental well-being.
If necessary, we can connect you to pancreas specialists from endocrinology and kidney care. We also can put you in touch with our behavioral health experts for emotional support. We encourage you to invite a loved one to these appointments.
While you wait for your transplant procedure, you can help keep your body and mind healthy by taking these key steps:
- Exercising to the best of your ability
- Following your recommended diet
- Seeing your doctor regularly
- Taking your medications as directed
When We Have an Organ for You
When an organ is available for you, it will be an exciting day! Learn more about what happens when you get the call.
More About Pancreas Transplant Preparation
Your Wait Time for Pancreas Transplant
Donor pancreases are a precious resource. It usually takes one to two years on the waitlist to get a new pancreas. The wait time is longer if you have blood type O or B and shorter if your blood type is A or AB.
Your doctor can give you more details about wait times based on your blood type, whether or not you have antibodies against other people's proteins (called sensitization) and other factors.
To shorten the time for a pancreas-kidney transplant, we strongly advise you to consider living kidney donation. You can talk about the possibility with family members, friends and others. If you can get a living kidney donation, a deceased donor pancreas transplant can follow.
Listing at Multiple Transplant Centers
If you receive care at BIDMC, you’re listed to receive your transplant here, at the Transplant Institute. You may be listed at other transplant centers as well. The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), operated by UNOS, allows you to list at more than one center as long as the centers you choose aren’t in the same area.
Not all transplant centers accept multiple-listed candidates, but our Transplant Institute does. Be aware, you must go through evaluations at each program. It’s important to check with your insurance provider to be sure they cover additional evaluation costs.
Contacting UNOS
UNOS requires that transplant programs provide the UNOS telephone number. This makes it possible for you to contact UNOS if you have grievances or concerns about multiple listings or any aspect of your transplant care.
We’re pleased to provide this number. It shows our focus on transparency and commitment to providing high quality care to all we serve.
You can reach UNOS toll free at 888-894-6361.
