ATC Abstracts

American Transplant Congress abstracts

  • Home
  • Meetings Archive
    • 2022 American Transplant Congress
    • 2021 American Transplant Congress
    • 2020 American Transplant Congress
    • 2019 American Transplant Congress
    • 2018 American Transplant Congress
    • 2017 American Transplant Congress
    • 2016 American Transplant Congress
    • 2015 American Transplant Congress
    • 2013 American Transplant Congress
  • Keyword Index
  • Resources
    • 2021 Resources
    • 2016 Resources
      • 2016 Welcome Letter
      • ATC 2016 Program Planning Committees
      • ASTS Council 2015-2016
      • AST Board of Directors 2015-2016
    • 2015 Resources
      • 2015 Welcome Letter
      • ATC 2015 Program Planning Committees
      • ASTS Council 2014-2015
      • AST Board of Directors 2014-2015
      • 2015 Conference Schedule
  • Search

The Impact of Center Volume on Simultaneous Kidney-Pancreas Transplantation Outcomes

A. Malone,1 D. Brennan,1 J. Wellen,2 T. Alhamad.1

1Transplantation Nephrology, Renal Division, Washington University, St Louis
2Section of Transplant Surgery, Washington University, St Louis.

Meeting: 2015 American Transplant Congress

Abstract number: C185

Keywords: Graft survival, Kidney/pancreas transplantation, Risk factors

Session Information

Session Name: Poster Session C: More Controversies in Pancreas Transplantation

Session Type: Poster Session

Date: Monday, May 4, 2015

Session Time: 5:30pm-6:30pm

 Presentation Time: 5:30pm-6:30pm

Location: Exhibit Hall E

Background: Pancreas transplantation is associated with a high incidence of surgical complications and successful outcomes require experienced surgical and post-transplant care. Prior studies have linked high volume centers with better outcomes for certain surgical procedures. The effect of center volume on pancreas transplantation outcome has not been well defined.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis using the United Network for Organ Sharing database, and examined 11568 simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplants (SPK) between 2000-2013. We categorized transplant centers as follows; Low volume center of 5 or less (n=2510); Medium volume center of 5-10 (n=3730); and high volume center of 10 or more (n= 5328) SPK per year.

Results: Recipient and donor age, donor creatinine, pancreas preservation time, kidney cold ischemia time, being on dialysis before transplant, and delayed graft function rates were all lower in the low volume group compared to the higher volume groups. Low volume centers were more likely to accept local donors than regional, or national donors (p<0.001), had higher warm ischemia time (p<0.001), and had higher pancreas rejection at 1 year (P=0.014) compared to the other groups.

Cox proportional modeling (adjusting for recipient, donor and transplant process related variables) of center volume demonstrated that centers performing 5 or fewer SPK per year were associated with greater pancreas allograft failure (HR 1.174, [CI 1.055 to 1.305], p=0.003), but not with increased risk for kidney allograft failure (HR 0.976, [CI 0.841 to 1.131], p=0.74). High volume centers did not provide further benefits in pancreas and kidney allograft survival compared to medium volume centers (HR 1.025, [CI 0.938-1.120] p=0.59 for pancreas and HR 0.987, [CI 0.912-1.067], p= 0.74 for kidney). Kaplan Meier survival curves showed similar results. There was a significant decrease in pancreas allograft survival at 1, 5, and 10 years in the low volume center group compared to other groups (p=0.002), whereas kidney allograft survival was similar among the groups at the same time points (p=0.051).

Conclusions: Despite careful selection of donors and recipients, low volume centers carried a 17% higher risk of pancreas allograft failure compared with medium volume centers. This highlights the importance of operative and post-transplant care in pancreas transplantation.

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Malone A, Brennan D, Wellen J, Alhamad T. The Impact of Center Volume on Simultaneous Kidney-Pancreas Transplantation Outcomes [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2015; 15 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/the-impact-of-center-volume-on-simultaneous-kidney-pancreas-transplantation-outcomes/. Accessed May 9, 2025.

« Back to 2015 American Transplant Congress

Visit Our Partner Sites

American Transplant Congress (ATC)

Visit the official site for the American Transplant Congress »

American Journal of Transplantation

The official publication for the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) »

American Society of Transplantation (AST)

An organization of more than 3000 professionals dedicated to advancing the field of transplantation. »

American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS)

The society represents approximately 1,800 professionals dedicated to excellence in transplantation surgery. »

Copyright © 2013-2025 by American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Cookie Preferences