Pancreas Transplant

The pancreas transplant program at UVA was started in 1988 and is one of the busiest in Virginia. We have performed more than 125 pancreas transplants, many on high-risk patients.

Pancreas transplantation is an option for patients with type 1 diabetes who have difficulty with labile blood (quick and wide swings in blood sugar level from high to low and from low to high) but aren’t able to detect when their glucose levels are dropping.  In some cases, a pancreas transplant can also be done for patients with Type II diabetes.

A pancreas transplant can be performed in these situations:

• At the same time as a kidney transplant (from a deceased donor) when both organs are required
• After a living donor kidney transplant has occurred
• To replace a pancreas for patients who do not have kidney disease associated with their diabetes.
  

Commitment and Research

Our primary goal is to improve your quality of life. Many of our patients have participated in our medical and drug studies, including drug studies looking at ways to reduce and manage the effects of organ transplant rejection and reduce complications from those drugs.

Keys to Success

You’ll have a team of doctors, transplant coordinators, social workers, financial counselors and more working to ensure you receive the best care possible. We’ll work with your referring and primary doctor, who is an important member of your transplant team.

Total Pancreas Transplants Performed Annually

Pancreas Transplant Graft Survival Levels

Our Approach

The evaluation process begins with a referral by your family doctor or endocrinologist. You can initiate the process by contacting our referral coordinator at 800.543.8814.  Find out more about our approach.

A Note to All Patients
The United Network for Organ Sharing provides a toll free patient services line to help transplant candidates, recipients and family members understand organ allocation practices and transplantation data. You may also call this number to discuss a problem you may be experiencing with your transplant center or the transplantation system in general. The toll free patient services line is 888.894.6361.