ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: While the number of deceased donor donations has increased in Korea, the organ shortage remains a major limitation for kidney transplantation. Donation after circulatory death (DCD) can be an option to expand the donor pool. In this study we evaluated the short and long term survival of grafts and patients and assessed the risk factors for graft failure. METHODS: In a single center, from August 1997 to December 2013, 28 cases of recipients who received kidney transplantation from DCD were enrolled. Information about donor and recipient factors, graft conditions, and transplant outcomes was collected through review of medical records. We calculated overall graft and patient survival rates and the risk factors for graft failure according to donor criteria and whether or not delayed graft function (DGF) occurred. RESULTS: There was no primary non-function, but DGF developed in 67.9% (19/28). Graft losses occurred in five patients during a median follow-up period of 68.2 months (4~204). There was no significant difference in graft survival rates depending on the donor criteria and the occurrence of DGF. In addition, there were no noteworthy risk factors for graft failure among donor age, donor creatinine, extended criteria donor, recipient age, warm ischemic time, cold ischemic time, and DGF. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, despite the high incidence of DGF, the long-term graft and patient survival in kidney transplantation from DCD were acceptable. Therefore, DCD can be an alternative to expand the donor pool and to shorten the waiting time.