Pancreas preservation time as a predictor of prolonged hospital stay after pancreas transplantation

OBJECTIVE: Length of hospital stay is a sensitive indicator of short-term prognosis. In this retrospective study, we investigated how pancreas preservation time affects length of hospital stay after pancreas transplantation. METHODS: Patients receiving pancreas transplantation (1998.7–2018.6) were identified from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database and grouped according to pancreas preservation time. We analyzed the relationship of pancreas preservation time with graft and patient survival and prolonged length of stay (PLOS; i.e., hospital stay ≥20 days). RESULTS: We included 18,099 pancreas transplants in the survival analysis. Pancreas preservation time >20 hours had a significantly higher risk of graft failure than 8 to 12 hours. Pancreas preservation time was not significantly associated with patient survival. We included 17,567 pancreas transplants in the analysis for PLOS. Compared with 8 to 12 hours, pancreas preservation time >12 hours had a significantly higher PLOS risk, which increased with increased pancreas preservation time. In simultaneous pancreas–kidney transplantation, we also found that pancreas preservation time was positively associated with PLOS risk with pancreas preservation time >12 hours. CONCLUSION: Pancreas preservation time is a sensitive predictor of PLOS. Transplant centers should minimize pancreas preservation time to optimize patient outcomes.