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Editorial
. 2023 Dec;37(12):e15148.
doi: 10.1111/ctr.15148. Epub 2023 Oct 4.

Poor utilization of deceased donor pancreata in the United States: Time for action

Neeraj Singh  1 , Robert J Stratta  2
Affiliations
Editorial

Poor utilization of deceased donor pancreata in the United States: Time for action

Neeraj Singh et al. Clin Transplant. 2023 Dec.

Abstract

The number of solid organ pancreas transplants performed in the United States has declined over the past two decades despite improving outcomes and the known benefits associated with this procedure. Although the reasons are multifactorial, high rates of deceased donor pancreata nonrecovery and nonuse have at least in part contributed to the reduction in pancreas transplant activity. The pancreas has higher nonrecovery and nonuse rates compared to the kidney and liver because of more stringent donor selection criteria, particularly with respect to donor age and body mass index, although even marginally inferior donor pancreata likely still benefit some patients compared to alternative therapies. In this editorial, we present several donor-, candidate-, and center-specific factors that are either confirmed or suspected of being associated with inferior outcomes, which contribute to high pancreas nonrecovery and nonuse rates. In addition, we have discussed several measures to increase pancreas recovery and reduce pancreas nonutilization.

Keywords: donor BMI; donor age; pancreas nonrecovery; pancreas nonuse; simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant.

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References

REFERENCES

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    1. Stratta RJ, Gruessner AC, Odorico JS, Fridell JA, Gruessner RW. Pancreas transplantation: an alarming crisis in confidence. Am J Transplant. 2016;16(9):2556-2562.
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