How Pancreas Transplant Works

Your transplant coordinator will meet you when you arrive at the hospital, they will help you check in, and you will follow the same steps as patients preparing for kidney transplant.

Once you arrive in the operating room, you will receive anesthesia to help you sleep through the procedure. You won’t remember or feel anything.

Before your procedure, your surgery team connects you to machines that monitor your blood pressure, blood oxygen levels and heart rate. Once you’re asleep, your surgeon makes an incision in your abdomen. This cut runs from just below your breastbone to your pubic bone.

Your surgeon places the donor kidney in the left lower part of your pelvic area. The new organ is well protected there. They attach blood vessels from the new kidney to your large blood vessels. They also connect the new kidney’s ureter to your bladder. The ureter is the tube that allows urine to flow from the kidney to your bladder.

If you’re having a pancreas transplant at the same time, your surgeon places the new pancreas in your abdomen and connects it to blood vessels. They also transplant and attach a small section of donor small intestines (duodenum) to help with your digestion.

Our surgeons usually place ureteral stents during kidney-pancreas transplant surgeries. These hollow plastic tubes keep the ureter open and urine flowing to the bladder during recovery. Your surgeon will tell you if you have a ureteral stent.

You can expect your kidney transplant surgery to last for several hours.

A full recovery from a kidney-pancreas transplant can take several months. Your transplant team will be with you at every step to help you heal. After surgery, you will wake up in a recovery room in either our transplant unit or surgical intensive care unit. You will be attached to several monitoring machines for the first few days after surgery. A nasogastric (NG) tube will run through your nose to your stomach. It will keep your stomach empty and protect the spot where your pancreas attaches to your small intestines. You will also have a catheter in your bladder to collect your urine.

For the first few days, you will have a constant IV insulin infusion. We will closely monitor your blood sugar levels as your new pancreas starts working. A main IV line in your neck will make it easier for you to receive medication and fluids.

You can expect to spend six to 10 days in the hospital after your transplant.

Before you leave the hospital, you will meet with your post-transplant team. Your post-transplant coordinator, pharmacist, social worker and nurses will prepare you for discharge. They will also teach you how to care for your new kidney and pancreas.

In addition, they will arrange follow-up care and appointments. You can reach your post-transplant coordinator at any time by calling 855-366-7989. 

You will need care after you go home. If you receive large doses of prednisone (steroid medication) after your transplant, you may still need insulin injections for a while. The amount of insulin you need drops as your prednisone dose decreases.

For the first six weeks after surgery, you will have weekly appointments in our Outpatient Transplant Clinic. Keep a daily record of your weight, temperature and blood pressure. You should also check your blood sugar levels twice daily. Bring that information with you to every appointment.

If you have a ureteral stent, we will remove it six weeks after your surgery. The Department of Urology will send you a letter with the date, time and location of your appointment.

During the first year after your surgery, you will meet many times with your transplant team. Your post-transplant coordinator will schedule these appointments. Check-ups will become less frequent over time.

Like with any transplant procedure, complications are possible after kidney-pancreas transplant surgery. Some are minor, but others will require more medical attention. Your transplant team will talk with you about the signs and symptoms to watch for.

Call your transplant coordinator if you experience any of these symptoms, as they may be signs of organ rejection:

After your transplant, you will take medicine to ensure your new kidney and pancreas stay healthy. These medications are immunosuppressants. They are anti-rejection medications, and you will take them for the rest of your life.

Our team will discuss each medication with you. We will make sure you know how much to take and possible side effects. We can also work with you to determine the best location for medication refills or arrange for medication delivery.