|
Organ transplant
Patient Information
|
Transplant Center - What's New
April, 2007
Issue No. 6
View PDF
Pancreas and kidney/pancreas transplant for type 1 diabetes patients
Whole organ pancreas transplantation is the only proven therapy that achieves the goal of keeping blood sugar levels constant at all times in order to prevent the multiple complications of diabetes.
Although there has been recent interest in islet cell infusion therapy, there is debate as to the success rate of this therapy and it may not be close to the level of success achieved with pancreas transplantation.
Currently, whole organ pancreas transplantation is the standard therapy or brittle type I diabetics. The results of simultaneous kidney/pancreas transplantation are usually better than pancreas transplant alone, but the difference is narrowing rapidly due to a significant improvement in the results secondary to better organ preservation and immuno-suppression monitoring. Please keep this option in mind when you see an insulin dependent diabetic suffering through swings in blood sugar and stigmata of diabetes such as impending blindness, neuropathy or renal failure.
Support system for the transplant patient
When a transplant patient is referred to our clinic, our all-encompassing approach, coupled with our clinical and surgical skills, creates successful outcomes. Support of the patient begins before the actual transplant and continues long after. Referring physicians have commented that the value of our total support system to patients and referring physicians cannot be understated.
Our Transplant Clinic has three licensed social workers trained at the master’s level and dedicated to ensuring that referred patients have all life issue support systems in place to assist them through the process of a liver, kidney, or kidney/pancreas transplant.
Our social workers assess each transplant candidate from the initial evaluation to make certain the candidate has the post-operative caregiver support they will need. Patients receive assistance applying for Medicare or disability through the appropriate sources if needed. The social workers check for prescription drug coverage so patients understand what post-transplant drugs are covered to plan as needed financially.
If required, our social workers offer assistance in abstinence and recommend community resources for support and teaching. Travel and housing are arranged to meet the patient’s post-transplant needs. Our social workers file Trust for Life documents and letters of medical necessity to Medicaid for patients needing financial assistance with housing. Travel can be arranged with Wheels, the city bus service.
Our social workers round every day with the surgeons and medical doctors on all patients in the hospital and know the status and needs of our inpatients. They are available during clinic hours to assist patients whenever needed.
These duties, and many more, are part of the system of care we provide your patients. We believe in going the extra mile when a patient is referred for transplant. Any support questions you may have on behalf of your patients can be directed to Lori Adams, RN, Outreach/Admission Coordinator, toll free at 1-888-808-3212.
Is it flu or rejection?
Our liver transplant patients are scattered across the state and beyond. While most stay in close contact with their referring physicians to report any signs or symptoms, some patients disregard symptoms they deem as minor illness.
When a transplant patient presents to a private practice, urgent treatment facility or ED with general complaints of flu such as low grade fever, fatigue, malaise and generalized weakness, the patient could be experiencing infection or failure of their graft.
Fever, while most commonly caused by infection, can be due to rejection or drugs. The immunosuppressant regimen transplant patients follow may mask infection, allowing the infection to progress more rapidly than in non-immunocompromised patients. This progression can be more difficult to eradicate. In some cases, a viral infection may affect the allograft itself and a blood chemistry test showing allograft dysfunction may not necessarily indicate rejection.
Therefore, all complaints must be taken seriously and the patient’s transplant team should know of every emergent visit by a transplant patient, whether to the ED or a physician’s office. At UK HealthCare, we usually start by testing for allograft dysfunction with appropriate blood chemistry, while also questioning the patient about whether they have been in contact with someone with obvious viral infection.
The UK transplant team values the relationships we have across the state with our referring physicians and always urge any doctor seeing a UK transplant patient to feel comfortable contacting us with questions, consultations or referrals. Our doctors can be
reached at the transplant clinic at 1-888-808-3212, 859-323-4661 or all other hours 24/7 through UK•MDs at 1-800-888-5533.
|
Academics | Service | Research | UK HealthCare | UK A-Z 
