Accepting or declining an offer for a pancreas

Your pancreas transplant team will support your decision-making and guide you through the offering process

Key points

It may take months or years before you are offered an organ from a deceased donor, but sometimes when you get an offer it may not suitable for you
There may be issues with the donor or organ that mean that the organ has a higher risk of failure or disease transmission than you or your transplant team are willing to accept
You may have problems, such as a recent infection, that makes you unsuitable to undergo transplantation at that time
It is up to you and your transplant team to decide whether to accept or decline an offer

Understanding the risks

Receiving an offer of an organ from a deceased donor can bring about a rollercoaster of emotions. You may have been waiting many months or years for this moment and be desperate for the transplant to go ahead. But before it can, your transplant team needs to assess the likely risks and benefits of the offered organ and discuss these with you.

Every deceased donor and every organ are different. Some organs carry more risk than others. Sometimes the organ you are offered may carry a higher risk than either you or your transplant team are willing to accept.

Learn about the risks from a donated pancreas

Accepting an offer

If your transplant team thinks that an offered organ is suitable for you, they will tell you relevant information about the donor and the organ.

The transplant team is not able to give you all of the information that they have about the donor. The donor’s name and personal details must be kept confidential. But you will be told if the donor has significant health problems that could affect how well the organ works after transplantation. Or if there are risks of transmitting infections or cancers.

If you decide to accept the offer and proceed with the transplant, you will be asked to come into the transplant centre.

View British Transplantation Society consent guidance (PDF, 114KB)

Declining an offer

If you feel the organ is not right for you, you should decline the offer. The transplant centre will not force you to accept an organ offer. The transplant team is there to support you in your decision.

If you turn down an offer for a reasonable reason then you will remain active on the transplant waiting list if you are otherwise well enough for a transplant.

Acceptable reasons for refusing an offer include:

Concerns about the risk of getting disease from the donor
Concerns about the organ being higher risk for possible complications
Concerns that the organ may not function for long enough

If the transplant team has concerns about the reasons for you turning down an offer, they may want to talk to you further. Your place on the transplant waiting list may be put on hold until this has happened.

Answers to common questions

How do you decide whether to accept or decline an offer?

We understand this is a very difficult decision. Your organ transplant team will advise you as much as possible and encourage you to discuss your options with family and friends.

Often, there may not be much time to decide whether an organ is suitable for you or not. The transplant team might only be able to give you an hour or less to make this decision. They will tell you if this is the case.

Your decision often depends on how much risk you are prepared to take. Some patients on the national transplant list are likely to receive many pancreas offers, while other patients will rarely receive an offer. Some patients have major problems with diabetes or dialysis. Therefore, some patients are willing to accept more risk with their transplant than others.

This is a personal choice and your transplant team will support whatever decision you make.

What happens if your transplant team feels that an organ offer isn’t suitable for you?

If your transplant team decides that an offer is not suitable for you, they will turn down the offer.

Some patients want to be told about all organ offers that are made to them, even if the transplant team thinks that the organ being offered isn’t suitable. Please let your transplant team know if you want to be told about all offers, even if it means waking you at late at night.

Most patients prefer not to be contacted by the transplant team if the team thinks the offer isn’t suitable for them. For these patients, they only want to be phoned with an offer if the transplant team thinks that it is a reasonably good organ for them.

Please let your transplant team know which approach you prefer.

How long will I have to wait for another offer if an offer is declined for me?

The wait for an organ is not a queuing system and you won’t go ‘to the back of the queue’. It’s a case of waiting to see when you’re matched to another suitable donated organ. How long this will be is hard to say as it depends on many different factors. You might wait for many months or years for another offer, or you might get an offer quickly. Your transplant team will tell you which is more likely, but it is not possible to accurately predict when you will receive another offer.

Learn how the organ offering system works

Can I change my mind about having a transplant?

What happens if I feel unable to accept certain donated organs?

All transplant recipients are asked to determine their donor acceptability criteria prior to being listed for transplantation. If you feel that certain donated organs are unacceptable to you, it is important to tell your organ transplant team. This information will be recorded so that you aren’t offered organs that you wouldn’t accept. If you change your mind, you must also tell your organ transplant team. Your donor choices will be reviewed on a regular basis when you are seen in the waiting list clinic.