Combined liver and kidney transplantation

Patients with end-stage renal and hepatic failure may be treated with combined liver and kidney transplantation (CLKTx). We reviewed the indications and outcomes of 16 CLKTx performed at the University of Minnesota between 1980 and 1994. The majority of the recipients (87.5%) were young patients affected by congenital hepatic anomalies and concomitant end-stage renal failure. Fourteen were treated with cyclosporin-based immunosuppression and had an excellent outcome: with an average of 6 years of follow-up, patient survival was 85.7%, liver graft survival 85.7%, and kidney graft survival 72%. The incidence of rejection episodes was similar to the rate of rejection in our solitary kidney and liver transplants. In conclusion, our experience supports the value of CLKTx in treating patients with simultaneous failure of both organs or with congenital enzymatic hepatic deficits leading to renal failure.     

Simultaneous heart and kidney transplantation from a single donor

Objective: There are no guidelines to establish the indications and contraindications for a simultaneous heart and kidney transplantation. We report our single-institutional experience with simultaneous heart and kidney transplantation. Methods: Retrospective chart review. Results: Between 1995 and 2006, 13 patients with co-existing end-stage heart and renal failure underwent simultaneous heart and kidney transplantation at the authors’ hospital. Heart failure was secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy in five patients, ischemic cardiomyopathy in three, cardiac allograft vasculopathy in two, and congenital heart disease, cardiac allograft failure, and acute myocarditis each in one. Renal failure was secondary to glomerulonephritis in six patients, heart failure in two, cyclosporine nephropathy in three, hypertension in one, and systemic lupus erythematosus in one. Eight patients were in UNOS status IA and five patients in UNOS status II before transplantation. The 30-day mortality rate and in-hospital mortality rate were 15% and 38%. Of eight patients in UNOS status IA, seven patients have lived beyond 30 days and three (38%) beyond 1 year. Of five patients in UNOS status II, four patients have lived beyond 30 days and four (80%) beyond 1 year. Patients in UNOS status IA had high rates of previous cardiac surgery, cardiac allograft rejection, and major renal allograft complications. Conclusions: Although simultaneous heart and kidney transplantation continues to be a viable option for patients with co-existing end-stage heart and renal failure, the results do not match those of isolated heart transplantation. The clinical outcomes were not satisfactory in UNOS status IA patients with previous cardiac surgery.     

肝肾胰联合移植的围手术期处理

目的总结肝胰肾联合移植围手术期处理的经验。方法报告肝、胰、肾一期联合移植治疗1例乙型肝炎后肝硬化、肝功能不全合并慢性肾功能不全伴慢性胰腺炎导致胰岛素依赖型糖尿病患者的临床特点及治疗体会。对患者围手术期处理及相关资料进行回顾性分析。结果采用胰液空肠内引流及原位背驮式同期尸体肝、胰、肾联合移植。手术顺利，移植肝脏及胰腺功能1周内逐渐恢复，肾功能延迟恢复。术后第16天因移植肾血流下降，切除移植肾脏，于原移植部位行第2次肾移植，肾功能逐渐恢复正常。至2005年11月随访10个月，患者未发生排斥反应及明显感染，移植肝、胰、肾功能均正常，一般情况良好。结论肝胰肾联合移植技术安全，术后因各脏器对功能恢复所需内环境各不相同，矛盾较多，围手术期处理对患者的长期存活至关重要。     

Simultaneous heart and kidney transplantation in patients with end-stage heart and renal failure.

Combined simultaneous organ transplantation has become more common as selection criteria for transplantation have broadened. Broadening selection criteria is secondary to improved immunosuppression and surgical techniques. The kidney is the most common extrathoracic organ to be simultaneously transplanted with the heart. A series of 13 patients suffering from both end-stage heart and renal failure underwent 14 simultaneous heart and kidney transplantations at Temple University Hospital between 1990 and 1999. This is the largest series reported from a single center. Three patients died during the initial hospitalization for an in-hospital mortality of 21%. Of 10 patients who left the hospital, 1-year survival was 100% and 2-year survival 75%. One patient required retransplant for rejection within the first year. Overall mortality at 1 and 2 years was 25 and 41%, respectively. Four out of nine (44%) patients greater than 5 years post-transplant were alive. Of the 10 patients who left the hospital, 66% were alive at 5 years. One patient succumbed to primary nonfunction of the cardiac allograft, while the four other deaths were secondary to bacterial or fungal sepsis. The patient's racial backgrounds were equally divided between African-American and white. These results are similar to those reported in a United Network of Organ Sharing Database (UNOS) registry analysis of 84 simultaneous heart and kidney transplants that found 1- and 2-year survival to be 76 and 67%, respectively. Simultaneous heart and kidney transplantation continues to be a viable option for patients suffering from failure of these two organ systems, although the results do not match those of heart transplant alone.     

Patient and renal allograft survival in the late posttransplant period.

Finding the proper balance between too much and not enough immunosuppression is just as important in the late posttransplant period as it is during the first year after transplantation. In general, too much immunosuppression leads to an increase in patient mortality, whereas inadequate immunosuppression can lead to an inordinately high rate of allograft failure (Fig 5). In the late posttransplant period, patient and allograft survival are both critically dependent on the degree of immunosuppression and on the long-term side effects of the agents used to achieve this immunosuppression. Adequate immunosuppression is important in treating and preventing the acute allograft rejection episodes that are common during the first year after transplantation (Fig 6). Some data suggest that the severity of early acute rejection episodes may influence the development of chronic rejection, the most common cause of graft failure in the late posttransplant period. Otherwise, the role of immunosuppression in treating and preventing chronic rejection is unclear. The discontinuation of immunosuppression by noncompliant patients is a major cause of late graft failure. Whether the nephrotoxicity of CsA will also result in graft failure in the very late posttransplant period is still unknown. The agents used to achieve immunosuppression, along with decreased graft function and proteinuria, contribute to hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. These and other risk factors have a negative impact on both graft and patient survival. Thus, immunosuppression is directly, or indirectly linked to most of the common causes of death and graft failure after renal transplantation. Although potent new immunosuppression protocols have increased the rate of short-term patient and allograft survival after renal transplantation, future advances in long-term survival after renal transplantation will depend on improvements that are effective in the late posttransplant period. Currently, the best approach to preventing complications in the late posttransplant period is to maintain a vigilant, comprehensive program of on-going medical care. The minimal amount of immunosuppression required to prevent allograft rejection should be used, while adhering to the principle that it is better to lose the graft than to lose the patient.     

Short- and long-term outcomes of combined cardiac and renal transplantation with allografts from a single donor

Coexisting end-stage heart and kidney failure can be treated by combined cardiac and renal transplantation. This study reviews the short- and long-term outcomes after such a procedure over a 16-year period at a single institution.All patients who underwent single-donor simultaneous heart and kidney transplantation during the period of March 1986 to April 2002 (including heart retransplantation) were included (n = 13). They were listed for combined heart and kidney transplantation as they fulfilled our criteria for irreversible end-stage organ failure. Retrospective review of patient data from the transplant database, patient case notes and post-mortem reports were carried out.The mean (SD) recipient age was 45 (12) years and there were 2 females. The mean pre-operative creatinine level was 724 (415) micromol/liter with 9 patients (69.2%) on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis and 2 patients (15.4%) on hemodialysis prior to transplantation. The 30-day mortality rate was 15.4% (2 of 13). For surviving patients the mean creatinine level at hospital discharge was 158 (93) micromol/liter. The mean number of acute cardiac rejection episodes per 100 patient-days was significantly lower (p = 0.01) than that for the heart-only transplant group (n = 760) during the same period. The median (interquartile range) post-operative survival was 1,969 (620 to 3,468) days. The actuarial survival rates (95% confidence interval) at 1 and 10 years were 77% (54% to 100%) and 67% (40% to 94%), respectively, and were not significantly different from the isolated heart transplant population (p = 0.68). Only 1 episode of acute renal rejection was diagnosed on clinical grounds, which was treated accordingly. There was no renal allograft loss in the long-term survivors.Combined cardiac and renal transplantation with allografts from the same donor has acceptable short- and long-term outcomes for patients with coexisting end-stage cardiac and renal failure. This group of patients may also experience fewer acute rejection episodes post-operatively.     

First case of simultaneous heart plus kidney transplantation in Chile: case report

Advanced renal disease is a formal contraindication to heart transplantation, and heart failure may make a patient ineligible for kidney transplantation. The International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation has reported 336 simultaneous heart and kidney transplantations with a 70% rate of 5 year survival. Herein we have presented the first case of simultaneous heart plus kidney transplantation in Chile. The patient is a 62-year-old man with diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension who in 1997 had a myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock and acute renal failure. He underwent a coronary bypass but developed progressive heart failure, with an ejection fraction less than 20% and moderate mitral regurgitation. He required chronic hemodialysis and survived a cardiac arrest, receiving an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Transplantation was performed in 2004 in 2 phases: initially a heart, followed by a kidney transplantation. Immunosuppression included Daclizumab, cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and steroids. He developed acute renal failure but did not receive dialysis. He left the hospital at 25 days posttransplantation. Two years following double transplantation, he has not shown acute rejection episodes of either the cardiac or the kidney graft. Both cardiac and renal functions are normal. In conclusion, simultaneous heart plus kidney transplantations offer a good alternative treatment for patients with advanced disease of both organs.     

Long-term outcome of ABO-incompatible renal transplantation.

Based on the long-term experience with ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation, the following can be concluded: 1. Renal transplantation across ABO incompatibility is an acceptable treatment for patients with end-stage renal failure. [table: see text] 2. Long-term patient and graft survival in ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation is influenced primarily by acute rejection episodes occurring within 1 year. 3. Despite the removal of anti-ABO natural antibodies before transplantation, hyperacute rejection crises may occur in some cases. 4. Humoral rejection is the most prominent type of rejection in ABO-incompatible renal transplantation. Even though most of this rejection is controllable with anti-rejection therapy, the prognosis for a graft that undergoes humoral rejection is significantly poor. 5. The maximum IgG titers of anti-A/B antibody before transplantation may have a harmful effect on graft acceptance in ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation. 6. Renal transplantation across ABO incompatibility is principally the most significant risk factor to affect long-term allograft function in ABO-incompatible living kidney transplantation.     

Evaluation of renal grafts in patients with lupus nephritis as cause of end-stage renal disease

INTRODUCTION: Kidney transplantation is the best option in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). For many years patients affected with lupus nephritis have had poor graft results. However, this has been changing over recent years with the development of new immunosuppressive drugs and a better comprehension of the natural evolution of the entity. METHODS: We studied 20 patients with lupus nephritis who received 22 kidney grafts: 15 women and five men (n = 11) who were treated with cyclosporine or with tacrolimus (n = 11). Secondary immunosuppression included mycophenolate match (MMF) (n = 13) or azathioprine (n = 9). We analyzed human leukocyte antigen, cold ischemia time, acute tubular necrosis, creatinine, cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, blood pressure, acute rejection episodes, immunosuppression, infections, disease recurrences, as well as graft and patient survival. RESULTS: After a mean cold ischemia time of 22 +/- 4 hours, nine patients displayed delayed graft function of an average duration 9 +/- 4 days. At 36 +/- 35 months nine grafts were lost: two due to acute rejection; five to chronic allograft nephropathy; and two to venous thrombosis. One patient died of hemorrhagic shock. There were five cytomegalovirus infections. Graft survival was dependent on the type of secondary immunosuppression, incidence of acute rejection episodes and occurrence of delayed graft function. CONCLUSIONS: We found no clinical recurrence of lupus nephritis after transplantation and a low incidence of complications, although there was a trend toward thrombosis. The presence of delayed graft function, episodes of acute rejection, and receiving azathioprine instead of MMF as secondary immunosuppression were associated with poorer graft survival.     

Results of simultaneous and sequential pediatric liver and kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The indications for simultaneous and sequential pediatric liver (LTx) and kidney (KTx) transplantation have not been well defined. We herein report the results of our experience with these procedures in children with end-stage liver disease and/or subsequent end-stage renal disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1984 and 1995, 12 LTx recipients received 15 kidney allografts. Eight simultaneous and seven sequential LTx/KTx were performed. There were six males and six females, with a mean age of 10.9 years (1.5-23.7). One of the eight simultaneous LTx/KTx was part of a multivisceral allograft. Five KTx were performed at varied intervals after successful LTx, one KTx was performed after a previous simultaneous LTx/KTx, and one KTx was performed after previous sequential LTx/KTx. Immunosuppression was with tacrolimus or cyclosporine and steroids. Indications for LTx were oxalosis (four), congenital hepatic fibrosis (two), cystinosis (one), polycystic liver disease (one), A-1-A deficiency (one), Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN)-related (one), cryptogenic cirrhosis (one), and hepatoblastoma (one). Indications for KTx were oxalosis (four), drug-induced (four), polycystic kidney disease (three), cystinosis (one), and glomerulonephritis (1). RESULTS: With a mean follow-up of 58 months (0.9-130), the overall patient survival rate was 58% (7/12). One-year and 5-year actuarial patient survival rates were 66% and 58%, respectively. Patient survival rates at 1 year after KTx according to United Network of Organ Sharing (liver) status were 100% for status 3, 50% for status 2, and 0% for status 1. The overall renal allograft survival rate was 47%. Actuarial renal allograft survival rates were 53% at 1 and 5 years. The overall hepatic allograft survival rate was equivalent to the overall patient survival rate (58%). Six of seven surviving patients have normal renal allograft function, and one patient has moderate chronic allograft nephropathy. All surviving patients have normal hepatic allograft function. Six (86%) of seven sequentially transplanted kidneys developed acute cellular rejection compared with only two (25%) of eight simultaneously transplanted kidneys (P<0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneously transplanted kidneys were less likely to develop rejection than sequentially transplanted kidneys in this series. This did not have any bearing on patient or graft survival rates. Mortality correlated directly with the severity of United Network of Organ Sharing status at the time of kidney transplantation. Candidates for simultaneous or sequential LTx/KTx should be prioritized based on medical stability to optimize distribution of scarce renal allografts.     

Kidney transplantation in patients suffering from hereditary complete complement C4 deficiency

Hereditary complete C4 deficiency (C4def) is a very rare condition that predisposes to immune complex disease and end-stage renal failure. Whether such patients should undergo renal transplantation is debated. The clinical outcome of five transplantations in three C4def patients is described. The first patient lost one allograft after 6 years because of chronic allograft rejection. Back on dialysis, he suffered from meningitis caused by Neisseria menigitidis and Aspergillus. One year after a second transplantation under alemtuzumab induction, he developed fulminant Kaposi's sarcoma and died. His sister is now 6 years post-transplantation without complications. The third patient lost his first graft after 3 years because of chronic allograft nephropathy and recurrence of glomerulonephritis. He has now been living with a second graft for over 9 years. He suffered from pneumonia, a generalized varicella infection and Hemophilis parainfluenzae bronchitis. Patients with complete C4def are at increased risk for infection after kidney transplantation. Under certain precautions and with judicious use of immunosuppression, good long-term results are achievable.     

肝、肾联合移植12例报告

目的 对肝、肾联合移植的临床情况进行总结。方法 为12例肝、肾功能异常患者施行肝、肾联合移植，采用多器官联合切取术整块切取供者器官。8例行经典式肝移植，4例行背驮式肝移植，均未行体外静脉转流；肾移植为常规术式。术前进行抗CD25单克隆抗体和抗胸腺细胞球蛋白诱导治疗，术后应用他克莫司（FK506）、霉酚酸酯及泼尼松预防排斥反应。结果 12例手术均获成功，移植肝及肾功能恢复良好。术后的并发症有移植肝急性排斥反应、FK506中毒、消化道出血、腹腔出血、肺部感染、腹腔感染（各1例次），所有患者均未发生移植肾急性排斥反应。结论 肝、肾联合移植是治疗终末期肝病合并肾功能衰竭的理想选择。     

Combined liver-kidney transplantation: long-term follow up in 18 patients

Since August 1992, 18 patients underwent combined liver and kidney transplantation. Eight patients had lymphocytotoxic antibodies pretransplant and 5 of these patients (27.7%) had a positive crossmatch. Fifteen patients received cyclosporine-based immunosuppression and 3 patients were treated with a tacrolimus-based immunosuppressive protocol. One patient died in the postoperative course due to intractable bleeding episodes after 96 days and one kidney graft was lost due to technical complications. The 1-year survival rate of patients with combined transplantation was 95% vs 87% in patients with liver transplantation alone. None of the patients with a positive crossmatch experienced a hyperacute rejection of the kidney. The long-term patient and graft survival was not impaired in patients with a positive crossmatch. These results suggest that combined liver-kidney transplantation is a safe treatment for end-stage liver and renal disease. A positive crossmatch or positive lymphocytotoxic antibodies are not contraindications for a combined transplantation.     

Kidney transplantation for end-stage renal failure in liver transplant recipients with hepatitis C viral infection

BACKGROUND: End-stage renal failure after successful liver transplantation (LTx) has been described in up to 5% of patients. Kidney transplantation (KTx) has been the treatment of choice in these cases. However, in recipients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), the augmentation of immunosuppression after KTx may result in an increased viral load. This, in turn, may adversely affect the liver allograft. METHOD: The present study retrospectively examined the outcome in 17 patients (3 females and 14 males, mean age 51.1+/-11.3 years) who received KTx after LTx. The mean interval from LTx to KTx was 57.6+/-32.1 months. The mean follow-up was 41.7+/-20.5 months after KTx, and 99.6+/-37.7 months after LTx. Sixteen of the 17 patients received tacrolimus-based immunosuppression at the time of KTx. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, one patient underwent combined liver and kidney retransplantation 3.7 years after KTx and 12.7 years after LTx. She subsequently died secondary to primary nonfunction. Four other patients died, two of lung cancer, one of pancreatitis/sepsis, and one of severe depression leading to noncompliance. A total of 29 episodes of biopsy-proven acute renal allograft rejection (1.7 episodes/ patient) were encountered and treated with steroids. Seven patients experienced a rise in liver function tests during the period of increased steroid dosage. Four patients received no treatment, and their liver function returned to baseline. The remaining three were treated with interferon. Overall 1- and 3-year actuarial patient and liver allograft survival was 88% and 71% (after renal transplantation); corresponding 1- and 3-year actuarial graft survival was 88% and 61%. Twelve patients are alive with normal liver function. One patient is on dialysis, because of renal allograft loss to noncompliance. CONCLUSION: In this series, LTx recipients with HCV infection were able to undergo KTx with a reasonable degree of success. KTx should be offered for end-stage renal failure after LTx, even in the presence of HCV infection, to individuals with stable liver function and no signs of liver failure.     

Combined heart-kidney transplantation: report on six cases

Background: Combined heart-kidney transplantation has become a new therapeutic solution for patients with coexisting, irreversible heart and kidney failure. Though this combined approach has several theoretical advantages over sequential transplantation, it has yet to be established that it does not jeopardize patient and graft outcomes. We here report our experience with six cases of combined heart-kidney transplantation from single donors and review the literature in order to clarify this issue. Methods: Four patients were kidney-transplant candidates with severe heart failure and two were heart-transplant candidates with independent chronic renal failure. Donors were selected on the basis of weight and size matching, ABO compatibility, and negative T-cell cross-matching. Results: The heart was always grafted first. The surgical procedure was uneventful in all cases. Heart and kidney function recovered quickly in all patients. Two patients died, one at day 45 from heart subacute rejection and the other one at day 157 from cerebral haemorrhage. The four remaining patients are alive 23-84 months after transplantation (2-year survival rate: 67%) and have well-functioning kidneys (creatinine clearance 31-83 ml/min) and hearts (left ventricular ejection fraction 53-83%). Remarkably, four of six patients had no acute rejection episode of either organ. These patient and graft outcomes are in agreement with previous reports and compare favourably with the results of isolated heart and kidney transplantation. Conclusions: Combined heart-kidney transplantation from the same donor should be proposed to patients who would qualify for transplantation of each organ within a few years. Key words: combined transplantation; heart failure; heart rejection; heart transplantation; kidney rejection; kidney transplantation; renal failure; transplantation outcome      

Recurrent Glomerulonephritis After Kidney Transplantation

Thirty to fifty percent of kidney transplant recipients have glomerular diseases as the underlying causes of end-stage renal failure. While recurrence of glomerulonephritis is an important cause of late renal allograft failure, the risk factors for recurrence are largely unknown or imprecise and prediction remains difficult. Recurrent disease usually presents with similar manifestations as the native disease. With regard to treatment of recurrent glomerular disease in the renal allograft, plasma exchange may be effective in reducing proteinuria in patients with early recurrence of focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis, but immunosuppressive therapy is generally ineffective in the prevention or treatment of recurrent disease. General supportive measures including strict blood pressure control and inhibition or blockade of the rennin-angiotensin pathway are helpful in retarding the rate of deterioration in renal allograft function. Despite the risk of recurrence, kidney transplantation following primary glomerulonephritides enjoys graft and patient survival rates comparable to other causes of end-stage renal failure. With a few exceptions, living related renal transplantation is not contraindicated in view of the favorable outcome and the donor shortage. This review discusses commonly encountered recurrent glomerulonephritides, with special emphasis on the influence of post-transplant prophylactic immunosuppression and emerging treatments.     

Combined Sirolimus-Calcineurin Inhibitor Immunosuppressive Therapy in Simultaneous Heart and Kidney Transplantation: A Retrospective Analysis of a Single Hospital's Experience

Simultaneous heart and kidney transplantation (SHKT) has become an accepted therapeutic option for patients with end-stage heart failure associated with end-stage renal disease. The immunosuppressive therapy is usually based upon a heart transplantation protocol using a calcineurin inhibitor (CNI). Sirolimus (SRL) is a potent nonnephrotoxic immunosuppressant with antiproliferative activity in nonimmune cells. Its use has recently been reported to show less nephrotoxicity among both heart and kidney transplants. However, the data for the SHKT are limited. We retrospectively examined the causes of 5 patients who received combined SRL-CNI immunosuppressive therapy with reduced CNI doses from 2003 to 2009. There was no mortality during follow-up. Two of the 3 patients who received a conversion regimen recovered renal function. One who suffered severe proteinuria after transplantation proceeded to hemodialysis at 3 years after conversion. Both of the patients who received the combined regimen de novo remained stable regarding their renal function. Cardiac function was stable in these patients; there was neither allograft rejection nor allograft coronary vasculopathy. We observed that patients without dyslipidemia or hyperuricemia before SHKT were less likely to develop these disorders under the combined regimen. Early medical intervention after close follow-up of lipid and uric acid values by dose adjustments resulted in a stable status of our patients.     

心肾联合移植的现状

对同时患有终末期心脏和肾脏疾病的患者 ,心肾联合移植 (CHKT)是一种切实可行的选择 ,术后疗效良好。该手术的适应证为合并由器质性肾脏疾病导致的肾功能衰竭的心脏移植患者 ,合并严重心功能不全的肾移植患者。CHKT术后心脏移植排斥发生率较单纯心脏移植术低 ,但机制尚不确定 ;肾移植排斥发生率较单纯肾移植术显著降低 ,这可能与较短的冷缺血时间和较强的免疫抑制治疗有关。行 CHKT患者的生存率与单纯心脏移植者无明显差别。若严格把握手术适应证 ,CHKT术可在临床上安全、合理地应用 ,但移植物和患者的长期存活率还有待多中心的进一步观察。     

胰肾联合移植治疗Ⅰ型糖尿病合并终末期肾病

目的 探讨胰肾联合移植治疗Ⅰ型糖尿病合并终末期肾病的临床效果。方法 ８例Ⅰ型糖尿病合并终末期肾病的患者接受胰肾联合移植,平均年龄４３．４６岁,２例合并视网膜病变,双目失明,病史２～２２年。胰腺移植于右髂窝,胰腺外分泌经膀胱引流,肾脏移植于左髂窝。免疫抑制方案开始四联用药,以后三联用药继续治疗。结果 ８例虱其中７例术后即不需要应用胰岛素,空腹血糖可维持在正常范围,１例术后应用胰岛素４０ｄ后停用。１例     

Simultaneous heart and kidney transplantation for combined cardiac and renal failure

Simultaneous heart and kidney transplantation (SHKT) is feasible for combined cardiac and renal failure. Herein we reviewed our 10-year experience in SHKT. Six patients underwent SHKT from June 1995 to December 2004. Their ages ranged from 13 to 63 years old with a mean of 45.5 +/- 15.8 years. They were all men except one girl, who was the youngest (aged 13) who suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure and chronic renal failure due to systemic lupus erythematosus. Because of aggravating heart failure, she changed from hemodialysis to peritoneal dialysis. Because of intractable heart failure, she underwent SHKT from a 24-year-old female donor. All received hemodialysis before SHKT. The indications for heart transplantation included dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 3), ischemic cardiomyopathy (n = 1), cardiac allograft vasculopathy (n = 1), and cardiac allograft failure (n = 1). The immunosuppressive protocol and rejection surveillance were these employed for heart transplantation. No operative mortality was noted in this study. The 1-year and 5-year survival rates were the same, 83%. The 10-year survival rate was 55%. No cardiac or renal allograft rejection was noted. No renal allograft loss was noted. There were two late mortalities: the one, who underwent redo heart transplantation for coronary artery vasculopathy died of cardiac allograft failure 1 year after SHKT. The other patient died of massive ischemic necrosis of the intestine at 6 years after SHKT. Our experience showed that SHKT had good short- and long-term results without increasing immunosuppressive doses. End-stage failure of either the heart or the kidney did not preclude heart plus kidney transplantation.