Northwell Health To Launch Adult Pancreas Transplant Program

MANHASSET, NY — Northwell Health has received approval to launch Long Island's first adult pancreas transplant program, according to a letter from the New York State Department of Health.

The Northwell Transplant Institute at North Shore University Hospital hosted a site visit with DOH officials. NSUH has 756 licensed beds and treats more than 90,000 patients each year, Northwell Health said. NSUH is one of 59 adult transplant centers in the nation that offer heart, kidney, liver, lung, and pancreas programs at one location.

With ambulatory locations, patients will have access to the program across New York and southern Connecticut.

This program can help people facing advanced diabetes, Northwell Health said. Mayo Clinic stated that the pancreas' main job is to make insulin, which is a hormone that regulates how sugar is absorbed into your cells. If the pancreas doesn't make enough insulin, blood sugar levels can rise too high and can result in Type 1 diabetes, Mayo Clinic stated. Most pancreas transplants are performed to treat Type 1 diabetes for those with serious diabetes complications, and the transplant can potentially cure the diabetes, according to Mayo Clinic.

Vinay Nair, DO, and medical director of Northwell's Center for Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation, said that kidney transplantation has risen in recent years, but pancreas transplantation has not.

"Unlike kidney transplantation, pancreas transplantation has remained stagnant, largely due to a lack of public knowledge and an insufficient number of centers offering the procedure," Nair said. "Our new program seeks to mitigate these challenges by both enhancing awareness and establishing local availability for pancreas transplantation."

Nabil Dagher, MD, senior vice president and director of Northwell Transplant Institute, said Northwell has consistently performed more than 200 kidney transplants a year.

"The goal has always been to bring pancreas transplantation to Long Island and marry these similar disciplines," Dagher said. "We’ve attracted some of the best nephrologists and surgeons in the world, true experts in kidney disease and diabetes. Adding pancreas transplantation to the Northwell Transplant Institute’s already robust programs will further strengthen the care we deliver to all patients."

Northwell Health said the United Network for Organ Sharing has more than 120,000 Americans listed as in need of an organ transplant, and more than 800 for a pancreas. Almost 45,000 organ transplants have been performed this year, according to Northwell Health.

Northwell began performing adult kidney transplants at nSUH in 2007, and established its pediatric kidney transplant program at Cohen Children's Medical Center in 2017, Northwell Health said.

Niraj Desai, MD, and director of Northwell's Center for Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation, said he is excited that Northwell can open pancreas transplants to a new, underserved population.

"The mission is to bring greater access to people in need, whether that’s through making more organs available for transplantation– which we’ve been working toward– or creating new pathways to receive a life-saving transplant," Desai said. "We’ve pushed to expand the age and criteria for organ donation."

More information about the Northwell Transplant Institute can be found online.