Our approach to pancreas transplants

We take a multidisciplinary approach to your care. Highly skilled kidney and pancreas disease specialists, including surgeons and nephrologists, lead our multidisciplinary team. They are all dedicated and experienced professionals here to provide you with personalized and compassionate care.

How to work with us

Your primary care physician or nephrologist will refer you to our program. Once you’re connected with our multidisciplinary transplant team, you will have a consultation with a specialist.

Am I eligible for a pancreas transplant?

You are a candidate for pancreas transplantation if you have type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile onset diabetes. 

You may also be eligible if you:

• Have type 2 diabetes (also known as adult onset diabetes)
• Have early or no kidney disease but a pancreas transplant would help you improve blood-sugar control and prevent complications
• Have received a kidney donation but a pancreas transplant would help you improve blood-sugar control and prevent complications
• Have secondary complications despite medical management
• Have experienced frequent hypoglycemic events despite medical management

With a pancreas transplant, you could increase your life expectancy significantly. Your results will be unique to you.

Should I get a simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplant?

We recommend a simultaneous transplant if you have diabetes and kidney failure.

A kidney-pancreas transplant could free you from daily insulin injections. Performing both procedures together also restores normal kidney function.

If you undergo kidney-pancreas transplantation, you:

• No longer need insulin injections
• Won’t experience episodes of low blood sugar or loss of consciousness from low blood-sugar levels
• Will experience a dramatic improvement in your quality of life and improved life expectancy

Why choose UCI Health for a pancreas transplant?

Team-based approach

Our transplant team of highly skilled surgeons and nephrologists specialize in taking a multidisciplinary approach to your care. This means that you won’t have to worry about any aspect of your pancreas transplant. 

Here’s how our team can help:

• Nurse coordinators facilitate and coordinate all aspects of your care
• Social workers provide psychosocial support and advocacy
• Pharmacists will help balance your medication needs
• Dietitians will help you maintain steady blood sugar levels by modifying your dietary choices
• Financial coordinators can assist you with insurance-related logistics
• Data analysts determine your suitability for transplant and can help improve outcomes
• Administrative coordinators make sure all your paperwork is completed and organized

The latest in pancreas transplantation

As Orange County's longest-running pancreas transplant program and simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplant program, we have multiple specialists to optimize your care and ensure a successful transplant. We only use the latest research and technologies in our state-of-the-art facility.

We continuously offer clinical trials

As Orange County’s only academic health system, many of our clinicians conduct robust medical research. For example, our surgeons are actively involved in clinical trials for islet cell transplantation. Islet cell transplantation concerns healthy insulin-producing islet cells which we can use to potentially eliminate the need for insulin injections.

Leaders in the field

Our highly skilled surgeons and nephrologists specialize in the latest treatment and technology for pancreas transplantation.