Pancreas transplants are performed for a variety of reasons, including curing type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas has damaged beta cells and is unable to produce enough, if any, insulin. Insulin is the glucose that muscles and tissues in the body use for fuel. Insulin helps in moving this glucose, or sugar, from the blood into cells that can use it for energy. If an adequate level of insulin is unavailable, the glucose remains in the blood, causing extreme levels of blood sugar levels.
In order to function, type 1 diabetics routinely have to inject themselves with insulin. When doctors remove their defective pancreas and replace it with a healthy donor pancreas, insulin production commences and patients are able to stop using manufactured insulin to maintain their normal blood glucose levels after pancreas transplant for diabetics.
There is a strong possibility that the body may not accept the new pancreas. There is a 1% failure rate of all pancreas transplantsand patients may still need to be on medication, other than insulin, for the remainder of their lives.Due to this factor, patients who have a pancreas transplant may also require a kidney transplant as well. Doctors perform these operations together and they are not without risk or complications.
Kidney Pancreas Transplants – What are the Risks?
The risks associated with any surgery include the possibility of infection, bleeding, scar formation, heart attack, stroke, breathing problems and reactions to anesthetic. For a patient who undergoes a kidney pancreas transplant, the complications increase exponentially. Diabetes sufferers may endureblood clots in the heart, brain, and other organs as well as clotting in the arteries and veins of the new organs. They new pancreas may become inflamed, called pancreatitis, or the site at which the pancreas attaches to the bladder and intestines may cause draining or leaking.
Before the operation, candidates must take numerous medications to prepare their body. These medications have serious side effects including the suppression of a body’s immune system. As this system is responsible for fighting and preventing infection, patients are at increased risk for developing new infections, and may have a prolonged recovery time.
KidneyPancreas Transplants – Who is a Candidate for this Procedure?
As there is a short supply of available donor pancreases, the process to receive a viable pancreas can be lengthy and rigorous. To qualify for the transplant, diabetes sufferers must meet several conditions. First, in spite of their diabetes, their overall health must be as optimal as possible. For example, the candidate must not be overweight, obese, or have lifestyle habits that would endanger the new organ, such as tobacco, alcohol, or drug use. In addition, the other body processes must be free from other forms of disease such as HIV, cancer, and lung disease.
Diabetics are prone to having heart problems, so problematic conditions such as angina, or coronary heart disease cannot be present. Other infections affecting blood vessels in the neck and legs would also prevent a person from being a successful candidate for the kidney pancreas transplant.
