Spain's 12 de Octubre Hospital Performs First Combined Intestine‑Pancreas Transplant

Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre in Madrid completed Spain's first simultaneous intestine and pancreas transplant, a procedure performed as a single composite graft. The 46‑year‑old patient suffered chronic intestinal failure from short‑bowel syndrome linked to a possible panarteritis nodosa, required long‑term parenteral nutrition and had type‑1 diabetes.

The multidisciplinary team—including surgeons, intensive‑care physicians, gastroenterologists, endocrinologists, nutritionists, anesthesiologists and nurses—carried out the complex operation without intra‑operative incidents. The patient was discharged after 16 days and continues recovery at home, now able to eat orally and follow a near‑normal diet. The transplant unit is the only one in Spain performing all types of abdominal organ transplants, and this case represents a rare worldwide achievement, expanding therapeutic options for patients with irreversible intestinal failure and associated pancreatic disease.