Has anyone ever heard of someone getting a pancreas transplant?

Question

A long time ago my aunt (who sometimes told wild tales) said that my cousin had to have one...we are not close...why would this be necessary? Has anyone heard of this? I am a nurse and have never heard of a similar case...

They probably told me why at the time, but I have forgotten.

She supposedly had it about 10 years or so ago and is still alive and well (I guess).

she did have type 1 diabetes..maybe brittle diabetic...

well ..that is news to me..they leave the old pancreas in place!!

I think she did have a dual transplant...not sure if kidney..but it sounds like that is the usual one done.

Answer 1

Definition Return to top

A pancreas transplant is surgery to implant a healthy pancreas from a donor into a patient with diabetes. Pancreas transplants give the patient a chance to become independent of insulin injections.

Description Return to top

The healthy pancreas is obtained from a donor who has suffered brain-death, but remains on life-support. The donor pancreas must meet numerous criteria to make sure it is suitable.

In addition to insulin, the pancreas produces other secretions, such as digestive enzymes, which drain through the pancreatic duct into the duodenum. Therefore, a portion of the duodenum is removed with the donor pancreas. The healthy pancreas is transported in a cooled solution that preserves the organ for up to 20 hours.

The patient's diseased pancreas is not removed during the operation. The donor pancreas is usually inserted in the right lower portion of the patient's abdomen and attachments are made to the patient's blood vessels. The donor duodenum is attached to the patient's intestine or bladder to drain pancreatic secretions.

The operation is usually done at the same time as a kidney transplant in diabetic patients with kidney disease.

Indications Return to top

A pancreas transplant may be recommended for people with pancreatic disease, especially if they have type 1 diabetes and poor kidney function.

Pancreas transplant surgery is not recommended for patients who have:

* Heart or lung disease
* Other life-threatening diseases

Solitary pancreas transplant for diabetes, without simultaneous kidney transplant, remains controversial.

Risks Return to top

The risks for any anesthesia are:

* Heart attack
* Reactions to medications
* Problems breathing

The risks for any surgery are:

* Bleeding
* Infection
* Scar formation

The body's immune system considers the transplanted organ foreign, and fights it accordingly. Thus, to prevent rejection, organ transplant patients must take drugs (such as cyclosporine and corticosteroids) that suppress the immune response of the body. The disadvantage of these drugs is that they weaken the body's natural defense against various infections.

Expectations after surgery Return to top

The main problem, as with other transplants, is graft rejection. Immunosuppressive drugs, which weaken your body's ability to fight infections, must be taken indefinitely. Normal activities can resume as soon as you are strong enough, and after consulting with the doctor. It is possible to have children after a transplant.

The major problems with all organ transplants are:

* Finding a donor
* Preventing rejection
* Long-term immunosuppression

Convalescence Return to top

It usually takes about 3 weeks to recover. Move your legs often to reduce the risk of blood clots or deep vein thrombosis. The sutures or clips are removed about two to three weeks after surgery. Resume normal activity as soon as possible, after consulting with the physician. A diet will be prescribed.

Hope this helps :)

Answer 2

I have heard of a pancreas transplant. Generally it is performed on someone who has type I diabetes. Since the pancreas produces insulin in the body, this surgery is a complete cure for type I diabetes. There are risks involved so this is usually only done in severe cases where the patient can't control the diabetes and is in danger of some of the compications of the disease.

Answer 3

I have seen and cared for patients with pancreas transplant or simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant. this is done to people with diabetes who later developed kidney disease. People with diabetes can benefit a pancreatic transplant or an islet injection. I don't know if you are aware that diabetes is one of the leading cause of kidney failure thus the reason behind the transplant. People with type I diabetes will benefit the transplant more because they do not produce any insulin (which i hope u are aware of).

FYI: for those who don't know. people with transplant are prescribed with anti-rejection medication thus it is possible to have a pancreas transplant.

Answer 4

Wow, I didn't realise that was possible. I have Cystic Fibrosis. One symptom of it is that the duct from the pancreas gets blocked, as water moves into the cells, from the duct, and makes the mucus in it very thick. I guess I had a pancreas transplant, along with the duct, then the cells around the duct would have the right DNA to make the mucus less thick, and then I could digest fats, which would be useful!

Answer 5

Many readers find it peculiar or frankly incorrect to start a newly diagnosed diabetic on insulin. This is not true. First your physician probably suspects type 1 in which insulin is the only option. Second type 2 diabetics who are 'lean' - a body mass index of less than 25 kg/m2 - are increasingly started on insulin. These individuals are a subset - the minority - of type 2 diabetics and although they display insulin resistance initially there is a greater relative lack of insulin. There are no 'natural' medicines for diabetes. For type 2 diabetics thiazolidiones - pioglitazone/Actos and rosiglitazone/Avandia - do seem to improve pancreatic function a little. The Canadian study was done on a pure strain of rodents who were developed to have a specific defect leading to diabetes. Thus a 'cure' was not so far fetched. People are far more complex and the defects in both type 1 and type 2 diabetics are multi-factorial unlike the rodents referenced above. At present despite decades of effort - mostly with type 1 diabetes where the progression of events is better defined - we are no closer to a cure today than we were in the earliest stages of research. I sincerely doubt that diabetes will be 'cured'. The good news however is that over the past 5 years or so the treatment of diabetes - including analog insulins - has allowed us to control blood glucose levels to near 'normal' range. This sounds to be your case. With improved control diabetic complications have been consistently shown to be decreased although certainly not eliminated. It sounds as if your physician has done a good job in controlling your glucose. I wish you the best of health and may God bless.

Answer 6

My cousin is actually waiting on the pancreas transplant list... has been for years and years.

Your pancreas secrets all kinds of stuff, not just insulin. You may need a transplant when the whole organ shuts down.

Answer 7

Yes, I know someone personally who had a pancreas transplant. He is doing much better physically now; I believe his diabetes is gone.

Answer 8

Never heard of a pancreas transplant.

But it's there:

http://www.pancreastransplant.org/

Answer 9

even if it was possible it wouldn't do any good, considering the cause of diabetes is when antibodies from your bloodstream kill the cells that produce insulin in your pancreas.

however a cure has been developed in Brazil that involves replacing all of your blood with new blood that doesn't contain these antibodies. and this is true and is an extremely recent discovery, so just because you haven't heard of it yet, don't automatically assume it is untrue, you will start to hear more about it soon.

Answer 10

Actually i have heard of a pancrease transplant, i actually saw it happening at a hospital and i saw a report about it on Discover channle.

Pretty interesting actually!