Transplantation
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Extended Pancreas Donor Program-The EXPAND Study: A Prospective Multicenter Trial Testing the Use of Pancreas Donors Older Than 50 Years.
Pancreas transplantation is the only curative treatment option for patients with juvenile diabetes. Organ shortage and restrictive allocation criteria are the main reasons for increasing waitlists, leading to severe morbidity and mortality. We designed a study to increase the donor pool with extended donor criteria (EDC) organs (donor age, 50-60 years; body mass index, 30-34 kg/m). ⋯ The Extended Pancreas Donor Program (EXPAND) shows in a prospective trial that selected EDC organs of donors older than 50 years can be used with outcomes similar to standard-criteria organs, therefore showing potential to reduce organ shortage and waiting times. This study substantiates the full implementation of EDC organs in a pancreas allocation system.