Improved Protocols in Kidney-Pancreas Transplants

Refined surgical techniques and advances in antirejection therapy are resulting in a higher volume of kidney-pancreas transplants with a better graft survival and quicker recovery at the University of Pittsburgh's Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute (STI, PA, USA).

One big advance is the use of the drug campath, a powerful immunosuppressant that depletes T and B cells, the cells that may cause rejection of a new organ. One dose is given before surgery and another can be given to treat active rejection. The advantage is that patients need only to take the antirejection medication tacrolimus after surgery, as opposed to a combination of tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and steroids.

In patients with diabetes, the pancreas stops producing insulin and may shut down, eventually requiring a transplant. This stress can also affect the kidneys, so often a patient in need of a pancreas will also need a new kidney. Currently, there are around 20 patients waiting for a combined pancreas transplant at STI and around 20 more waiting for a combined kidney-pancreas transplant. The University of Pittsburgh's transplant programs comprise the world's largest and busiest program, where surgeons perform more types of organ transplants than at any other institution.

"People need to be more aware of our services, in particular, diabetic patients with end-stage renal disease,” commented Ngoc Thai, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of surgery and director of pancreas transplantation at STI.




Related Links:
Univ. of Pittsburgh's Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute