Pancreas/kidney transplantation: new hope for patients with end stage renal disease and type 1 diabetes.

For kidney transplant recipients with type 1 diabetes, there are ongoing risks and consequence that can complicate the quality of life after transplantation and present significant challenges to the patient and health care team. There is now an opportunity for those patients with type 1 diabetes and renal failure to treat both conditions with combined pancreas/kidney (P/K) transplantation. It must be emphasized that P/K transplantation is not a cure for renal failure and diabetes, rather, it is a treatment option. Successful pancreas transplantation will eliminate the need for insulin therapy and normalize glucose metabolism, which can greatly improve quality of life. This clinical article will present an overview of the P/K transplantation process, discuss the important role of the dialysis health care professional, and outline the experience of the Multi Organ Transplant (MOT) program of the Toronto General Hospital (TGH), University Health Network (UHN), Toronto, Ontario.