The Pancreas Transplant Procedure

As soon as a compatible organ becomes available, the transplant recipient is contacted by a nurse coordinator and admitted to the hospital. Upon admission, a thorough physical exam is conducted to rule out any new factors since the patient was last seen which could interfere with the surgery, and to ensure the patient's readiness for surgery. The patient also begins taking immunosuppressive medication. Depending on the organ(s), the surgery lasts approximately 5-8 hours.

The anesthesiologist administers a general anesthetic, which puts the patient to sleep throughout the surgery. An IV catheter is placed in the neck to administer medications, fluids, and to take blood samples. Depending on the organ, the surgery lasts approximately five to eight hours. The recipient's own organs are left in place and the new organs are placed in the lower abdomen.