Are Criteria for Islet and Pancreas Donors Sufficiently Different to Minimize Competition?

• Published in: American journal of transplantation Vol. 4; no. 5; pp. 763 - 766
• Main Authors: Ris, Frédéric, Toso, Christian, Veith, Florence Unno, Majno, Pietro, Morel, Philippe, Oberholzer, José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 9600 Garsington Road , Oxford , OX4 2DQ , UK Munksgaard International Publishers 01.05.2004
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Child; Donor selection criteria; Humans; islet transplantation; Islets of Langerhans Transplantation; Middle Aged; organ donation; Pancreas Transplantation; Patient Selection; Tissue and Organ Procurement - standards; Tissue Donors - supply & distribution
• ISSN: 1600-6135; 1600-6143
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2004.00409.x

Islet and pancreas transplantation may compete for a limited number of organs. We analyzed records from the national Swiss transplant registry during a 4‐year period to investigate the proportion of donors that are suitable for islet and pancreas transplantation. Suitability for pancreas transplantation was mainly defined as: age 10–45 years; weight ≤ 80 kg; BMI ≤ 25 kg/m2; amylasemia ≤ 150 U/l; ICU stay ≤ 3 days and absence of severe hypotension (MAP ≤ 60 mmHG). Between 1.1.1997 and 31.12.2000, data of 407 donors were collected, from which 321 donors were included in the study. Thirty‐three (10%), 143 (45%), and 23 (7%) donors fulfilled the criteria for pancreas, islet transplantation, and both procedures, respectively. Giving priority to pancreas transplantation and accepting the absence of one selection criterion, 90 (28%) pancreas and 100 (31%) islet donors were identified. We conclude that with current allocation policies prioritizing pancreas transplantation, pancreas and islet transplantation may coexist with little competition.