Living Pancreas Donation

[andy]

Does anyone know anything about or have any experience with living pancreas donation? My understanding is that a living person can donate a portion of their pancreas under certain conditions.
I am a living kidney donor who was originally going to do a kidney/pancreas donation, but the pancreas part was denied (I believe the denial was made by Medicare, but I cannot prove that). However it happened, I really would like to give someone else the improved quality of life that comes with a working pancreas, something that was denied my recipient. I am looking at a non-directed donation, and am just starting to look into the process. Thank you. Andy

[Fr Pat]

     I do remember reading about it someplace. If I remember it right, it might be the removal of some cells from the donor's pancreas to inject into the recipient's pancreas to get it working, rather than a portion cut from the donor's pancreas? I don't know if it is considered experimental, or how many hospitals try it. I have also read of cases where previous to the kidney transplant they did a bone-marrow transplant as well, to reduce the danger of rejection. Again, I don't know if with experience they have found this worth-while or not. Sorry I don't have more info. You might try posting your question as well at the FaceBook page of Living Donors on Line, as there are more donors who check in there these days.
        Fr. Pat

[Michael]

We have some limited information on living pancreas donation here: https://livingdonorsonline.org/other/  (one of the links is broken).

It's not a common procedure, so you should check insurance policies to make sure the procedure is covered. You can also try a Google search to see what additional information is available.

[andy]

Thanks to all who replied. I am trying to see if UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) has any info. I will post If I come up with anything more. Thanks again. Andy

[andy]

Just an update for anyone interested. I spoke with someone from the University of Minnesota Health Center, who told me they used to do such surgeries in the past, but have since stopped. According to her, the main reason why was that there was a significant risk to the donor of developing diabetes. Curiously, she also said they no longer needed living persons for this procedure, as there were plenty of cadavers available. UNOS sent me a long list of facilities that perform other organ donation surgeries, so I am still looking into it. Andy