
October 13, 1999
Research: Cure
Question from Gig Harbor, Washington, USA:
What do you know about an outpatient cell transplant operation being tried recently? It was on our local news, in Seattle.
Answer:
The actual islet transplant procedure could be performed on an outpatient basis. This is because it consists of an infusion (similar to a blood transfusion) of the islets in the portal vein, which is the main vein bringing blood to the liver. A small catheter is placed in this vein through the skin and the liver (percutaneous approach) under local anesthesia in a radiology suite.
So far, all patients undergoing islet transplantation have been admitted to the hospital for monitoring reasons, but the procedure itself could be performed as outpatient.
CR