Transplant Center

Criteria have been established to help determine if a patient is a candidate for transplantation. The criteria explain the reasons for inclusion in, or exclusion from pancreas and/or kidney transplantation.

Inclusion
Criteria for intestinal transplantation are as follows, but are not limited to dependence on Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) in addition to one of the following:

• Liver dysfunction or failure secondary to TPN.
• Limited veins for TPN (clots in two of six major veins used for TPN).
• Life threatening central line infections (Intravenous lines used for TPN).
• Repeated central line infections.
• Repeated episodes of dehydration.

Patients may also be considered for intestinal transplantation if they have a small intestine that has been severely damaged, cannot be reconstructed and intestinal rehabilitation is not an option.

Other criteria include:

• Ability to tolerate major surgery.
• Patient and family/support system's ability to understand the risks and benefits of transplantation, including the long-term need for close medical follow-up and life-long need for anti-rejection medications.
• Patient/families ability to accept the responsibility to be involved in the long-term care required after transplantation, including the financial responsibilities.

Exclusion
Factors and considerations that may result in exclusion from transplantation include:

• The presence of some other life-threatening disease or condition that would not improve with transplantation. This would include certain cancers, infections that cannot be treated or cured or significant brain injury/damage which is not thought to be irreversible.
• History of chronic non-compliance, including but not limited to medical treatments, medications or other behaviors that would affect the patient's ability to fully care for themselves after transplantation.
• History of chronic and ongoing drug and/or alcohol abuse that cannot be successfully treated before transplant, putting the patient at risk for continued harmful behavior after transplantation.
• History of serious psychiatric disorders that cannot be successfully treated before transplant, and that would be considered a high risk for ongoing or increased severity of the psychiatric disorder after transplantation.