Because islet transplantation is minimally invasive, it can be offered to patients with severe cardiovascular disease who cannot tolerate open surgery, says Andrew Posselt M.D, Ph.D, head of the Pancreas and Pancreatic Islet Transplant Program. However, islet transplants generally do not last as long as solid organ pancreas transplants. The beta cells appear to stop working after a period of time, requiring an additional infusion from another donor.