Duration of delayed graft function and outcomes after kidney transplantation from controlled donation after circulatory death donors: a retrospective study

The impact of the duration of delayed graft function (DGF) on graft survival is poorly characterized in controlled donation after circulatory death (DCD) donor kidney transplantation. A retrospective analysis was performed on 225 DCD donor kidney transplants between 2011 and 2016. When patients with primary nonfunction were excluded (n = 9), 141 recipients (65%) had DGF, with median (IQR) duration of dialysis dependency of 6 (2–11.75) days. Longer duration of dialysis dependency was associated with lower estimated glomerular filtration rate at 1 year, and a higher rate of acute rejection. On Kaplan–Meier analysis, the presence of DGF was associated with lower graft survival (log‐rank test P = 0.034), though duration of DGF was not (P = 0.723). However, multivariable Cox regression analysis found that only acute rejection was independently associated with lower graft survival [HR (95% CI) 4.302 (1.617–11.450); P = 0.003], whereas the presence of DGF and DGF duration were not. In controlled DCD kidney transplantation, DGF duration itself may not be independently associated with graft survival; rather, it may be that acute rejection associated with prolonged DGF is the poor prognostic factor.     

Risk factors for delayed kidney function and impact of delayed function on patient and graft survival in adult graft recipients

The influence of delayed kidney graft function on allograft outcome is described controversially in the literature. The aim of the study was to evaluate possible risk factors for delayed graft function (DGF) and investigate the impact of DGF on short- and long-term renal allograft function. Two groups were formed: the first one consisted of patients who gained immediate graft function (IGF) (n = 64) after transplantation and the second group included patients with DGF (n = 31; with at least one dialysis needed in first week after transplantation). The DGF group had a statistically significant longer duration on dialyses prior to transplantation (DGF 54 vs. IGF 33 months; p < 0.05), on average more frequently a re-transplantation (DGF 1.7 vs. IGF 1.3; p < 0.01), a longer re-anastomosis time (DGF 52.9 vs. 44.2 min; p < 0.01), a lower systolic (DGF 136 +/-24 mmHg vs. IGF 158 +/- 25; p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (DGF 78 +/- 14 vs. IGF 89 +/- 16 mmHg; p < 0.01) at admission to the hospital and a higher serum (S)-creatinine at discharge (DGF 2.5 +/- 1.6 vs. IGF 1.6 +/- 0.4 mg/dL; p < 0.01). Prior to transplantation the DGF group had more often advanced vascular diseases (DGF 29.0 vs. IGF 12.5%; p < 0.01) and these patients incurred more frequently new ones during the next 3 yr after transplantation (DGF 22.6 vs. IGF 6.3%; p < 0.001). After 3 yr the graft survival tended to be lower in the DGF group (DGF 74.2 vs. IGF 84.4%; NS), but this difference was not statistically significant.     

Early post‐transplant conversion from tacrolimus to belatacept for prolonged delayed graft function improves renal function in kidney transplant recipients

Prolonged delayed graft function (DGF) in kidney transplant recipients imparts a risk of poor allograft function; tacrolimus may be detrimental in this setting. We conducted a retrospective single center analysis of the first 20 patients converted to belatacept for prolonged DGF as part of a clinical protocol as a novel treatment strategy to treat prolonged DGF. Prior to conversion, patients underwent an allograft biopsy to rule out rejection and confirm tubular injury. The primary outcome was the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at 12 months post‐transplant; secondary outcome was the change in eGFR 30 days post‐belatacept conversion. At 1 year post‐transplant, the mean eGFR was 54.2 (SD 19.2) mL/min/1.73 m². The mean eGFR on the day of belatacept conversion was 16 (SD 12.7) mL/min/1.73 m² and rose to 43.1 (SD 15.8) mL/min/1.73 m² 30 days post‐conversion (P<.0001). The acute rejection rate was 20% with 100% patient survival at 12 months post‐transplant. There was one graft loss in the setting of an invasive Aspergillus infection that resulted in withdrawal of immunosuppression and transplant nephrectomy. Belatacept conversion for prolonged DGF is a novel treatment strategy that resulted in an improvement in eGFR. Additional follow‐up is warranted to confirm the long‐term benefits of this strategy.     

High incidence of delayed graft function in HIV‐infected kidney transplant recipients

Kidney transplantation (KT) outcomes in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐infected recipients are under continuous research. High incidence of early post‐transplant complications such as acute rejection has been observed. A multicenter study including HIV‐infected patients who underwent KT in Spain, from 2001 to 2011, was performed. The study population included 108 recipients, 36 HIV‐infected, and 72 matched HIV‐negative KT recipients. HIV‐infected recipients developed more delayed graft function (DGF) (52% vs. 21%, P < 0.001). One‐ and 3‐year graft survival was 91.6% and 86.2% in HIV‐infected patients, and 97.1% and 94.7% in HIV‐negative patients (P = 0.052). In two‐variate Cox analysis, HIV infection was not a predictor of graft loss after adjusting for time on dialysis, acute rejection, and DGF. Multivariate analysis for DGF revealed HIV‐positive status as independent risk factor. We analyzed the evolution of immunosuppressive and antiretroviral therapy (ART). In HIV‐infected patients tacrolimus trough levels were very high in the first week and significantly lower in the second week post‐transplant (P = 0.042). Post‐transplant ART was significantly changed: protease inhibitors use decreased (P = 0.034) and integrase inhibitor use increased (P < 0.001). DGF is another frequent early complication in HIV‐infected recipients that can affect graft survival. Strategies to prevent DGF and antiretroviral regimes with less drug interactions could improve outcomes.     

Impact of machine perfusion after long static cold storage on delayed graft function incidence and duration and time to hospital discharge

Delayed graft function (DGF) is very high in our center (70%‐80%), and we usually receive a kidney for transplant after more than 22 hours of static cold ischemia time (CIT). Also, there is an inadequate care of the donors, contributing to a high rate of DGF. We decided to test whether machine perfusion (MP) after a CIT improved the outcome of our transplant patients. We analyzed the incidence of DGF, its duration, and the length of hospital stay (LOS) in patients who received a kidney preserved with MP after a CIT (hybrid perfusion—HP). We included 54 deceased donors kidneys preserved with HP transplanted from Feb/13 to Jul/14, and compared them to 101 kidney transplants preserved by static cold storage (CS) from Nov/08 to May/12. The median pumping time was 11 hours. DGF incidence was 61.1% vs 79.2% (P = .02), median DGF duration was 5 vs 11 days (P < .001), and median LOS was 13 vs 18 days (P < .011), for the HP compared to CS group. The observed reduction of DGF with machine perfusion did not occur in donors over 50 years old. In the multivariate analysis, risk factors for DGF, adjusted for CIT, were donor age (OR, 1.04; P = .005) and the absence of use of MP (OR, 1.54; P = .051). In conclusion, the use of HP contributed to faster recovery of renal function and to a shorter length of hospital stay.     

Non-Heart Beating Donor Kidneys with Delayed Graft Function Have Superior Graft Survival Compared with Conventional Heart-Beating Donor Kidneys That Develop Delayed Graft Function

Delayed graft function may have an association with reduced graft survival, and nonheart-beating donor (NHBD) kidneys have higher rates of delayed graft function (DGF) than heart-beating donor (HBD) kidneys. This study compared outcome of renal transplants from HBDs who developed DGF, with NHBDs who developed DGF. All recipients of HBD and NHBD kidneys who developed DGF were identified during a 10-year period. All patients with graft primary nonfunction were excluded from analysis. Four hundred and fifty-six functioning transplants were performed. Delayed graft function occurred in 69 (17%) HBD and 55 (93%) NHBD kidneys. The grafts developing DGF were well matched for donor and recipient age. The rate of acute rejection was similar; [n = 16/69 (23%) HBD vs. n = 13/55 (24%) NHBD]. Cold ischaemia was 21 h in the HBD group and 17 h in NHBD group (p > 0.05). Serum creatinine was similar for both groups at 1.3 and 6 years (p > 0.05 for all time points). Graft survival in the NHBD recipients with DGF was significantly better at 3 years (84%) compared with recipients of a HBD renal transplant that developed DGF (73%) (p < 0.05), and at 6 years (62% survival for HBDs and 84% survival for NHBDs). This study shows that graft survival was better for NHBD kidneys up to 6 years after transplantation.     

Outcomes of DCD kidneys with CIT-induced delayed graft function

Donation after circulatory death (DCD) kidneys are exposed to warm ischemia, which, coupled with cold ischemia time (CIT) exacerbates delayed graft function (DGF) and is possibly associated with worse graft survival. To analyze the risk of CIT-induced DGF on DCD kidney outcomes, we evaluated national data between 2008 and 2018 of adult kidney-only recipients of paired DCD kidneys where one kidney recipient experienced DGF and the other did not. Of 5602 paired DCD kidney recipients, multivariate analysis between recipients with higher CIT relative to lower CIT showed that increasing CIT differences had a significant dose-dependent effect on overall graft survival. The graft survival risk was minimal with CIT differences of ≥1-h (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.07, 95% CI .95– 1.20, n = 5602) and ≥5-h (aHR 1.09, 95% CI .93–1.29, n = 2710) and became significant at CIT differences of ≥10-h (aHR 1.37, 95% CI 1.05–1.78, n = 1086) and ≥15-h (aHR 1.78, 95% CI 1.15–2.77, n = 1086). Between each of the four delta-CIT levels of shorter and longer CIT, there were no statistically significant differences in the proportion of acute rejection. These results suggest that in the setting of DCD kidney transplantation (KTX), DGF, specifically mediated by prolonged CIT, impacts long-term graft outcomes.     

Predictors and outcomes of delayed graft function after living‐donor kidney transplantation

Delayed graft function (DGF) following deceased donor kidney transplantation is associated with inferior outcomes. Delayed graft function following living‐donor kidney transplantation is less common, but its impact on graft survival unknown. We therefore sought to determine risk factors for DGF following living‐donor kidney transplantation and DGF's effect on living‐donor kidney graft survival. We analyzed living‐donor kidney transplants performed between 2000 and 2014 in the UNOS dataset. A total of 64 024 living‐donor kidney transplant recipients were identified, 3.6% developed DGF. Cold ischemic time, human leukocyte antigen mismatch, donor age, panel reactive antibody, recipient diabetes, donor and recipient body mass index, recipient race and gender, right nephrectomy, open nephrectomy, dialysis status, ABO incompatibility, and previous transplants were independent predictors of DGF in living‐donor kidney transplants. Five‐year graft survival among living‐donor kidney transplant recipients with DGF was significantly lower compared with graft survival in those without DGF (65% and 85%, respectively, P < 0.001). DGF more than doubled the risk of subsequent graft failure (hazard ratio = 2.3, 95% confidence interval: 2.1–2.6; P < 0.001). DGF after living‐donor kidney transplantation is associated with inferior allograft outcomes. Minimizing modifiable risk factors may improve outcomes in living‐donor kidney transplantation.     

Transplantation of both kidneys from 408 donors; comparison of results

Abstract The outcome of 816 paired kidney transplantations from 408 cadaveric donors was evaluated. The transplantations were divided according to order of transplant surgery into group 1 [mean cold ischemia time (CIT) 22 h] and group 2 (mean CIT 28 h). In group 1 the frequency of delayed onset of graft function (DGF) was 22% versus 35 % in group 2 (P < 0.005). The 1‐year patient survival and graft survival (GS) in group 1 was 98% and 93 % versus 94% (P < 0.005) and 90% in group 2. Hemodialysis patients in group 2 had significantly greater DGF (43 %) and poorer GS (88%) than peritoneal dialysis patients and the success of transplantation was particularly poor in recipients over 50 years of age.     

Influence of dialysis on post-transplant events

INTRODUCTION: We examined the effect of haemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) on acute rejection, delayed graft function (DGF), graft and patient survival after cadaveric renal transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We carried out a retrospective analysis of 325 patients (cyclosporin [CyA]-based therapy) who had their first cadaver renal transplant between January 1991 and December 1996 and followed up for a mean of 61 +/- 26 months. They were divided into three groups: HD, PD and CD (where both PD and HD was used for at least 3 months). Delayed graft function was diagnosed if the patient needed dialysis in the first week post-transplant while primary non-function (PNF) was diagnosed if the kidney never achieved function. Graft rejection was confirmed by biopsy; early acute rejection (EAR) was defined as acute rejection occurring before 90 days and late acute rejection (LAR) as one after 90 d. RESULTS: A total of 183 patients had PD, 117 HD and 25 CD. The mean time period in which the patients were on dialysis for PD was 24 months, HD 34.5 months and CD 50.6 months (p < 0.01). The recipients were matched for age and gender. The donor variables (age, gender and cold ischaemia time) did not differ between the groups. The mean time for the development of first acute rejection following renal transplant in each group was as follows: PD group: 68.8 d, HD group: 81.3 d and CD group: 105 d (p = 0.08). The number of patients who developed EAR was 90 (49.2%) in PD group, 51 (43.6%) in HD group and 11 (56%) in CD group (p = 0.6); the number who developed LAR was nine in PD group (4.9%), six in HD group (5.1%) and one in CD group (4%) (p = 0.9). Fifty-six patients with PD had DGF compared with 58 with HD (p = 0.01). There was no difference in the number and severity of rejection episodes or DGF based on the duration of dialysis. The 5-yr survival of patients was 79% for PD, 81% HD and 78% CD groups (p = n.s), while the graft survival for PD group was 61%, HD group 63% and CD group 74% (p = n.s). SUMMARY: We could find no difference in the patient or graft survival between patients who had pre-transplant HD, PD or CD. There was no difference in the incidence of acute rejection episodes between the three groups of patients as well. However, we found a significantly higher rate of DGF in the HD versus PD patients.     

HLA-DRB1 compatibility in cadaver kidney transplantation: correlation with graft survival and function

The introduction of genomic HLA-DR typing has stimulated a re-evaluation of the role of HLA-DR compatibility on cadaver kidney transplantation. We retrospectively studied the influence of HLA-DRB1 matching on the survival of 416 patients using univariate and Cox regression analysis as well as its influence on the occurrence of rejection episodes and on creatinine level at the 3rd month in the 198 recipients for whom these data were available. The following parameters were also considered: HLA-A,B compatibility, donor and recipient age, graft number, pretransplant blood transfusions and panel reactive antibodies (PRA). Twenty-four month graft survival was 100% for transplants with zero mismatches (n=47), 87.9% for those with one mismatch (n-191) and 81.3% for those with two mismatches (n=178). In the Cox model, HLA-DRB1 matching was the most significant variable influencing graft survival (47% of ² P=0.001), followed by HLA-A,B matching (23%, P=0.02) and donor age (19%, P=0.04). Ninety-two percent of the patients with zero mismatches experienced no rejection episodes in the first 3 posttransplant months compared with 62% and 41% of patients with one and two mismatches, respectively. Mean creatinine level (mg/dl) was 1.2, 1.4, and 1.5 in patients with zero, one, and two mismatches, respectively. Should these results be confirmed by prospective studies, HLA-DRB1 compatibility will have to be considered as an organ allocation criterion.     

Immediate and long-term results of ATG induction therapy for delayed graft function compared to conventional therapy for immediate graft function

The use of polyclonal antibodies for delayed graft function (DGF) was tested in 83 renal allograft recipients. Conventional immunosuppression (CI) was given to 52 patients with immediate graft function (IGF) while 31 patients with DGF received the polyclonal antibody ATG. Administration of OKT3 was restricted to steroid-resistant acute rejections in both groups. The incidence and severity of acute rejections, graft survival rate, CMV infections, and lymphocyte subsets were examined. ATG patients experienced a total of 0.6 acute rejections per patient, whereas CI patients had 0.9 on the average (P < 0.05). Second and third acute rejections occurred less frequently and later in the ATG group than in the CI group (P < 0.01). Steroid-resistant acute rejections occurred in 20 of the CI patients (38 %) but in only 7 of ATG patients (23 %). One-year graft survival in the CI and ATG groups was 98.1 % and 93.2 %, respectively. A decreased CD4 + to CD8 + T-lymphocyte ratio of about 0.5 was still detectable 5 years after the initial ATG administration. Hence, patients with DGF appear to benefit from induction therapy with ATG. Received: 3 March 1998 Received after revision: 20 July 1998 Accepted: 23 September 1998     

Is prolonged cold ischemia a contraindication to using kidneys from acute kidney injury donors?

To determine the impact of prolonged cold ischemia time (CIT) on the outcome of acute kidney injury (AKI) renal grafts, we therefore performed a single‐center retrospective analysis in adult patients receiving kidney transplantation (KT) from AKI donors. Outcomes were stratified according to duration of CIT. A total of 118 patients receiving AKI grafts were enrolled. Based on CIT, patients were stratified as follows: (i) <20 hours, 27 patients; (ii) 20‐30 hours, 52 patients; (iii) 30‐40 hours, 30 patients; (iv) ≥40 hours, nine patients. The overall incidence of delayed graft function DGF was 41.5%. According to increasing CIT category, DGF rates were 30%, 42%, 40%, and 78%, respectively (P = .03). With a mean follow‐up of 48 months, overall patient and graft survival rates were 91% and 81%. Death‐censored graft survival (DCGS) rates were 84% and 88% for patients with and without DGF (P = NS). DCGS rates were 92% in patients with CIT <20 hours compared to 85% with CIT >20 hours (P = NS). In the nine patients with CIT >40 hours, the 4‐year DCGS rate was 100%. We conclude that prolonged CIT in AKI grafts may not adversely influence outcomes and so discard of AKI kidneys because of projected long CIT is not warranted when donors are wisely triaged.     

Efficacy and safety of de novo or early everolimus with low cyclosporine in deceased‐donor kidney transplant recipients at specified risk of delayed graft function: 12‐month results of a randomized,multicenter trial

Immediate or early use of proliferation signal inhibitor (PSI)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor therapy can avoid high exposure to calcineurin inhibitors but concerns exist relating to the risk of delayed graft function (DGF) and impaired wound healing with the mTOR sirolimus. CALLISTO was a 12‐month, prospective, multicenter, open‐label study. Deceased‐donor kidney transplant patients at protocol‐specified risk of DGF were randomized to start everolimus on day 1 (immediate everolimus, IE; n = 65) or week 5 (delayed everolimus, DE; n = 74). Incidence of the primary endpoint (biopsy‐proven acute rejection, BPAR; graft loss, death, DGF, wound healing complications related to transplant surgery or loss to follow‐up) was 64.6% and 66.2% in the IE and DE groups, respectively, at month 12 (P = 0.860). The overall incidence of BPAR was 20.1%. Median estimated glomerular filtration rate was 48 ml/min/1.73 m² and 49 ml/min/1.73 m² in the IE and DE groups, respectively, at month 12. DGF and wound healing complications were similar between groups. Adverse events led to study drug discontinuation in 17 IE patients (26.2%) and 28 DE patients (37.8%) (NS). In conclusion, introduction of everolimus immediately or early posttransplant in DGF‐risk patients is associated with good efficacy, renal function and safety profile. There seems no benefit in delaying initiation of everolimus.     

Reduced graft function (with or without dialysis) vs immediate graft function--a comparison of long-term renal allograft survival.

BACKGROUND: Delayed graft function (DGF) is a common complication in cadaveric kidney transplants affecting graft outcome. However, the incidence of DGF differs widely between centres as its definition is very variable. The purpose of this study was to define a parameter for DGF and immediate graft function (IGF) and to compare the graft outcome between these groups at our centre. METHODS: The renal allograft function of 972 first cadaveric transplants performed between 1990 and 2001 in the Republic of Ireland was examined. The DGF and IGF were defined by a creatinine reduction ratio (CRR) between time 0 of transplantation and day 7 post-transplantation of <70 and >70%, respectively. Recipients with reduced graft function (DGF) not requiring dialysis were defined as slow graft function (SGF) patients. The serum creatinine at 3 months, 6 months, 1, 2 and 5 years after transplantation was compared between these groups of recipients. The graft survival rates at 1, 3 and 5 years and the graft half-life for DGF, SGF and IGF recipients were also assessed. RESULTS: Of the 972 renal transplant recipients, DGF was seen in 102 (10.5%) patients, SGF in 202 (20.8%) recipients and IGF in 668 (68.7%) patients. Serum creatinine levels were significantly different between the three groups at 3 and 6 months, 1, 2 and 5 years. Graft survival at 5 years for the DGF patients was 48.5%, 60.5% for SGF recipients and 75% for IGF patients with graft half-life of 4.9, 8.7 and 10.5 years, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that the CRR at day 7 correlates with renal function up to 5 years post-transplantation and with long-term graft survival. We have also demonstrated that amongst patients with reduced graft function after transplantation, two groups with significantly different outcomes exist.     

Creatinine Reduction Ratio on Post-Transplant Day Two as Criterion in Defining Delayed Graft Function

Delayed graft function (DGF) is a common complication after renal transplant, affecting its outcome. A common definition of DGF is the need for dialysis within the first week of transplantation, but this criterion has its drawbacks. We tried to validate an earlier and better defined parameter of DGF based on the creatinine reduction ratio on post-transplant day 2 (CRR2). We analyzed the clinical charts of 291 cadaver kidney recipients to compare the outcome of patients with immediate graft function (IGF), dialyzed patients (D-DGF) and nondialyzed CRR2-defined DGF patients (ND-DGF) and to identify risk factors for D-DGF and ND-DGF. Creatinine reduction ratio on post-transplant day 2 correlates significantly with renal function during the first year. Patients with IGF have significantly better renal function throughout the first year and better graft survival than patients with D-DGF and ND-DGF, while we found no differences either in renal function from days 30-365 or in graft survival between D-DGF and ND-DGF patients. Defining DGF by CRR2 allows an objective and quantitative diagnosis after transplantation and can help to improve post-transplant management. Creatinine reduction ratio on post-transplant day 2 correlates with renal function throughout the first year. The worse survival in the ND-DGF group is an important finding and a major advantage of the CRR2 criterion.     

Dynamics of early post‐operative plasma ddcfDNA levels in kidney transplantation: a single‐center pilot study

Donor‐derived cell‐free DNA (ddcfDNA) is reported to be a promising noninvasive biomarker for acute rejection in organ transplant. However, studies on monitoring ddcfDNA dynamics during the early periods after organ transplantation are scarce. Our study assessed the dynamic variation in ddcfDNA in early period with various types and status of kidney transplantation. Target region capture sequencing used identifies ddcfDNA level in 21 kidney transplant recipients. Median ddcfDNA level was 20.69% at the initial time post‐transplant, and decreased to 5.22% on the first day and stayed at the stable level after the second day. The ddcfDNA level in DCD (deceased donors) group (44.99%) was significantly higher than that in LDRT (living donor) group (10.24%) at initial time, P < 0.01. DdcfDNA level in DGF (delayed graft function) recipients was lower (23.96%) than that in non‐DGF (47.74%) at the initial time, P = 0.89 (19.34% in DGF and 4.46% in non‐DGF on the first day, P = 0.17). DdcfDNA level at initial time significantly correlated with serum creatinine (r² = 0.219, P = 0.032) and warm ischemia time (r² = 0.204, P = 0.040). Plasma ddcfDNA level decreased rapidly follow an L‐shaped curve post‐transplant, and level in DGF declined slower than non‐DGF. The rebound of ddcfDNA level may indicate the occurrence of acute rejection.     

Comparisons of clinicopathological correlations between immediate and slow graft function in renal transplant recipients

Abstract: The functional recovery state of renal transplants can be divided into three types: immediate graft function (IGF), slow graft function (SGF) and delayed graft function (DGF). In contrast to the well-known clinical outcomes for IGF and DGF, the pathological findings and clinical outcomes of SGF are undetermined. This study evaluated possible clinicopathological correlations in 237 patients with SGF compared with patients with IGF. IGF and SGF were defined by serum creatinine levels (IGF < 1.2 mg/day l; SGF: ≥1.2 mg/dL) at day 14 after renal transplantation. Graft biopsy was performed on this day, and pathological classification was performed using the Banff schema. The SGF group of patients ( n  = 121) showed higher rates of cadaver donors and male recipients than the IGF group ( n  = 116), but there were no significant differences in recipient or donor age, numbers of HLA mismatches, types of immunosuppressant or follow-up periods between two groups. The SGF group showed higher serum creatinine levels at discharge, and a higher incidence of acute rejection than the IGF group (24.8% vs. 8.6%, P  < 0.05) and lower graft survival rates (1 year, 93.3% vs. 100%; 5 years, 85.4% vs. 98.6%, respectively; P  < 0.05). The presence of acute rejection in the SGF patients indicated a significantly decreased 5-year survival rate compared with the IGF group. The SGF group of patients with borderline pathology had a higher incidence of acute rejection than the IGF group, and significant increases in the expression of mRNA for pro-apoptotic genes (Fas-ligand, granzyme B and perforin) compared with the IGF group. In conclusion, SGF represents the activated immune state and is associated with poor graft outcome. Anti-rejection treatment or modified immunosuppressive regimen may thus be indicated for patients with SGF.     

Financial impact of delayed graft function in kidney transplantation

Increased utilization of suboptimal organs in response to organ shortage has resulted in increased incidence of delayed graft function (DGF) after transplantation. Although presumed increased costs associated with DGF are a deterrent to the utilization of these organs, the financial burden of DGF has not been established. We used the Premier Healthcare Database to conduct a retrospective analysis of healthcare resource utilization and costs in kidney transplant patients (n = 12 097) between 1/1/2014 and 12/31/2018. We compared cost and hospital resource utilization for transplants in high-volume (n = 8715) vs low-volume hospitals (n = 3382), DGF (n = 3087) vs non-DGF (n = 9010), and recipients receiving 1 dialysis (n = 1485) vs multiple dialysis (n = 1602). High-volume hospitals costs were lower than low-volume hospitals ($103 946 vs $123 571, P < .0001). DGF was associated with approximately $18 000 (10%) increase in mean costs ($130 492 vs $112 598, P < .0001), 6 additional days of hospitalization (14.7 vs 8.7, P < .0001), and 2 additional ICU days (4.3 vs 2.1, P < .0001). Multiple dialysis sessions were associated with an additional $10 000 compared to those with only 1. In conclusion, DGF is associated with increased costs and length of stay for index kidney transplant hospitalizations and payment schemes taking this into account may reduce clinicians’ reluctance to utilize less-than-ideal kidneys.     

Reconditioning by end‐ischemic hypothermic in‐house machine perfusion: A promising strategy to improve outcome in expanded criteria donors kidney transplantation

This clinical study evaluates end‐ischemic hypothermic machine perfusion (eHMP) in expanded criteria donors (ECD) kidneys. eHMP was initiated upon arrival of the kidney in our center and continued until transplantation. Between 11/2011 and 8/2014 eHMP was performed in 66 ECD kidneys for 369 (98‐912) minutes after 863 (364‐1567) minutes of cold storage (CS). In 49 of 66 cases, the contralateral kidney from the same donor was preserved by static CS only and accepted by another Eurotransplant (ET) center. Five (10.2%) of these kidneys were ultimately judged as “not transplantable” by the accepting center and discarded. After exclusion of early unrelated graft losses, 43 kidney pairs from the same donor were eligible for direct comparison of eHMP vs CS only: primary non‐function and delayed graft function (DGF) were 0% vs 9.3% (P=.04) and 11.6% vs 20.9% (P=.24). There was no statistically significant difference in 1‐year graft survival (eHMP vs CS only: 97.7% vs 88.4%, P=.089). In a multivariate analysis, eHMP was an independent factor for prevention of DGF (OR: 0.28, P=.041). Development of DGF was the strongest risk factor for 1‐year graft failure (Renal resistance: 38.2, P<.001). In summary, eHMP is a promising reconditioning technique to improve the quality and acceptance rate of suboptimal grafts.