Older Donation After Circulatory Death Kidneys for Older Recipients: A Single-Center Experience.

The number of older patients is increasing on the transplant waiting list. Donation after circulatory death (DCD) kidney transplantation has increased, but there remains hesitancy in use of older DCD organs. The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes of directing older DCD donor kidneys into older recipients. METHODS: Patients 60 years or older who received transplants from DCD donors 60 years or older, between February 2010 and January 2014, were identified from a prospectively maintained database. RESULTS: Over a 4-year period, 88 patients 60 years or older received DCD kidney transplants from donors 60 years or older. Of these 44 (55%) were 60 to 69 years old and 40 (45%) were 70 years or older. Median follow up was 63 months. Patient survival was 95% and 79% at 1 and 5 years, respectively, with a survival in those 70 years and older (69%) compared with those aged 60 to 69 (88%) years (P = .01). Censored for death graft survival was 94% and 80% at 1 and 5 years, respectively. Median estimated glomerular filtration rate at 12 months and 36 months was 36 mL/min (range, 11-70 mL/min) and 39.5 mL/min (range, 11-77 mL/min), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Older DCD kidneys, when transplanted into older recipients, result in good patient and graft survival and an acceptable graft function, especially considering their age. This represents a good use of this organ resource.

Dual Kidney Transplantation Offers a Valuable Source for Kidneys With Good Functional Outcome.

BACKGROUND: Reasons for declining kidney donors are older age, with or without, hypertension, kidney dysfunction, and diabetes. Implantation of both kidneys into a single recipient from such donors may improve their acceptability and outcome. METHODS: Patients who underwent dual kidney transplantation (DKT) between June 2010 and May 2014 were identified from a prospectively maintained database. Single kidney transplantations (SKT) with matching donor criteria were also identified. Donors considered for DKT were the following: DBDs >70 years of age with diabetes and/or hypertension; DCDs >65 years of age with diabetes and/or hypertension; and DCDs >70 years of age. RESULTS: Over a 4-year period, 34 patients underwent adult DKT, and 51, with matching donor criteria, underwent SKT. The median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at 12 and 36 months of DKT was 49 (range, 5-79) and 42 (range, 15-85) mL/min compared with SKT of 35 (range, 10-65) and 32 (range, 6-65), respectively. The 1-year graft survival for DKT and SKT was 88% and 96% (P = .52), and patient survival was 94% and 98%, respectively (P = .12). Median hospital stay, intensive care unit admission, and wound complications were more frequent in the DKT group. CONCLUSIONS: Graft function following DKT is significantly better compared with matched criteria SKT; graft and patient survival are similar. There is an increased rate of complications following DKT, with longer hospital stay and ICU admission.

The influence of socioeconomic deprivation on outcomes following renal transplantation in the United kingdom.

Socio-economic deprivation is an important determinant of poor health and is associated with a higher incidence of end-stage renal disease, higher mortality for dialysis patients and lower chance of being listed for transplantation. The influence of deprivation on outcomes following renal transplantation has not previously been reported in the United Kingdom. The Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation was used to assess the influence of socio-economic deprivation on outcomes for 621 consecutive renal transplant recipients from a single centre in the United Kingdom transplanted between 1997 and 2005. Outcomes measured were rate of acute rejection and graft survival. Patients from the most deprived areas were significantly more likely to experience an episode of acute rejection requiring treatment (36% vs. 27%, p=0.01) and increasing overall deprivation correlated with increasing rates of rejection (p=0.03). Income deprivation was significantly and independently associated with graft survival (HR 1.484, p=0.046). Among patients who experienced acute rejection 5-year graft survival was 79% for those from the most deprived areas compared with 90% for patients from the least deprived areas (p = 0.018). Overall socio-economic deprivation is associated with higher rate of acute rejection following renal transplantation and income deprivation is a significant and independent predictor of graft survival.

Infective complications associated with ureteral stents in renal transplant recipients.

OBJECTIVE: Stenting of the ureter is commonly performed during renal transplantation to avoid early complications. However, it predisposes to infections that may pose a significant threat to the graft and patient. Our study sought to investigate the incidence of infections associated with stents in renal transplant recipients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 100 consecutive renal transplant recipients performed over 1 year with 6 months follow-up. RESULTS: The median recipient age was 46 years (range, 19-71 years). Among the study group, 75 patients received an organ from deceased donor and 25 from live donor. In our study, there were 79 patients with a stent (ST) and 18 without a stent (WOST); 3 patients who required nephrectomy were excluded from the study. There were 2 ureteric stenoses that occurred following stent removal: 1 required surgical correction and 1 was treated radiologically. There were no cases of urinary leak. The incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI) was significantly greater among ST compared with WOST subjects (71% vs 39%; P = .02). New episodes of UTI following removal of the stent were more common among patients who had experienced infections while having a stent compared with infection-free stented patients (54% vs 30%; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: A ureteric stent may help to reduce early postoperative complications (leak and stricture), but increased the likelihood of UTI. Infection while having a ureteric stent was associated with a high recurrence rate of UTI even after stent removal.

Effect of degree of obesity on renal transplant outcome.

Obesity in renal transplantation has proven to affect both patient and graft survival. The scientific community seems to be split into 2 groups: one claims similar outcomes among obese and nonobese, showing only marginally increased postoperative complications; whereas the other group report a higher rate of complications, including graft loss and mortality. These results did not provide sufficient evidence to be applied in practice. In this study we analyzed the outcomes of obese recipients of renal transplant in our institution. One hundred fourteen renal transplantations were performed between January 1993 and December 2003. To estimate the impact of various degrees of obesity, the patients were allocated into 2 cohorts: Group A (body mass index [BMI] 30-34.9) and Group B (BMI 35 and greater). We analyzed patient and donor characteristics. Wound infection rates were similar in the 2 groups. The aggregate Group A and B patient survival rate was 95.6% at 1 year and 93% at 5 years. Graft survival rate was 93.9% at 1 year and 88% at 5 years. However, the analysis of the outcomes in the 2 groups with different degrees of obesity showed that the patient survival rate at 1 year in Group A was 98.9% (1 death) and 95.6% at 5 years (4 deaths). In Group B the patient survival rate at 1 year was 87.5% (3 deaths; P = .007) and at 5 years was 79.2% (P = .006). Graft survival rate in Group A was 98.9% (1 graft loss) at 1 year and 94.5% (5 graft losses) at 5 years; in Group B the graft survival rate was 75% (6 graft loss) at 1 year and 63% (9 graft losses) at 5 years (P < .0001 both at 1 and 5 years). The present study showed that overall obese recipient outcomes were as expected when evaluating the obese as a single group of recipients with a BMI >30. The overall patient and graft survival did not show particularly different results from already published studies claiming similar outcomes. However, this series showed different outcomes when we divided them into 2 groups by BMI. There was a remarkable difference between moderate obese (Group A) and morbid obese (Group B) recipients as regards patient and graft survival. It is possible that the excellent outcome in Group A may be the result of super-selection and stringent cardiovascular risk screening that is implemented for this category of potential recipients. Obese recipients with a BMI of >35 are a high-risk category. Because of the difference in the outcomes of the 2 groups, it does not seem reasonable to address obese recipients as a single group. We believe that obese patients should not be discriminated simply on the basis of the BMI. A strict evaluation should be performed before denying the opportunity to receive a renal transplant to these patients.

Clinical significance of a positive flow crossmatch on the outcomes of cadaveric renal transplants.

Pretransplantation crossmatching is an integral part of kidney transplantation. Flow cytometric crossmatch (FCXM) is more sensitive than complement-dependent cytotoxic crossmatch (CDC-XM). However, the clinical significance of positive FCXM with negative CDC-XM is controversial. We evaluated FCXM in 455 consecutive deceased donor renal transplants. All had a negative CDC-XM. There were 341 T-cell and B-cell FCXM negative and 38 T-cell and B-cell positive. There was a higher percentage of retransplantations and HLA mismatches (26.3% vs 8.2%, P= .002 and 2.45 vs 1.99, P= .02, respectively) in the FCXM-positive group compared with the FCXM-negative group; 65.8% of the FCXM-positive patients had rejection compared with 49.3% of the FCXM-negative patients (odds ratio [OR]=1.89, P= .06). FCXM-positive patients had a higher incidence of vascular rejection (28.9% vs 12.6%, OR=2.68, P= .008). One- and 5-year graft survivals were 84% and 66% in the FCXM-positive group vs 90% and 75% in the FCXM-negative group. Censoring for patient death, 1- and 5-year graft survivals were 84% and 73% in the FCXM-positive group vs 94% and 82% in the FCXM-negative group. There was no difference in renal function between the 2 groups. In conclusion, a positive T-cell and B-cell FCXM transplant with a negative CDC-XM is associated with a higher incidence of rejection, twice the risk of vascular rejection, and a trend toward poorer graft survival.

Idiopathic severe elevation of serum alkaline phosphatase following adult renal transplantation: case reports.

Transient hyperphosphatasemia (TH) in infancy is a benign condition characterized by elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels severalfold the adult upper limits, occurring mainly in children under 5 years, without evidence of liver or bone disease, and a return to normal ALP levels by 4 months. Herein we have reported 3 cases of TH in adults following renal transplantation. The first case, a 47-year-old woman, blood group AB positive, had hypertensive renal disease. Five months after successful renal transplantation from a deceased donor she had a 50-fold increase in ALP. The second case, a 34-year-old man, blood group A positive, had renal failure due to IgA nephropathy. Nine weeks after a second renal transplant from a deceased donor a 25-fold increase in ALP was noted. The third case, a 45-year-old woman, blood group A positive, experienced renal failure 15 years earlier of unknown etiology. Thirteen years after her second renal transplant a 12-fold increase in ALP was observed during a routine follow-up. In all cases, the isolated ALP serum levels returned to normal limits within 12 weeks. Bone scans and abdominal ultrasounds during these periods were normal with no evidence of bone or liver disease. ALP isoenzyme electrophoresis revealed a pattern characteristic of TH of infancy and childhood. The 3 cases reported highlight the occurrence of benign TH in adults, with renal transplantation. However, liver disease, bone disease, and infection should be excluded first in these susceptible individuals on immunosuppression before establishing the diagnosis of TH.

Polar nephrectomy in a transplanted kidney: a case report.

After renal transplantation, infarction of the lower pole may be observed. We report an unusual case of lower pole infarction and perforation of the lower calyx due to thrombosis of a lower polar artery. This was managed successfully with partial nephrectomy (nephron-sparing surgery).