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.     

Improvements in kidney transplantation from donors after cardiac death

To reduce the growing waiting list for kidney transplantation, we explored the limits of kidney transplantation from donors after cardiac death by liberally accepting marginal donor kidneys for transplantation. As the percentage of primary non‐function (PNF) increased, we evaluated our transplantation program and implemented changes to reduce the high percentage of PNF in 2005, followed by a second evaluation over the period 2006–2009. Recipients of a kidney from a donor after cardiac death between 1998 and 2005 were analyzed, with PNF as outcome measure. During the period 2002–2005, the percentage of PNF increased and crossed the upper control limits of 12% which was considered as unacceptably high. After implementation of changes, this percentage was reduced to 5%, without changing the number of kidney transplantations from donors after cardiac death. Continuous monitoring of the quality of care is essential as the boundaries of organ donation and transplantation are sought. Meticulous donor, preservation, and recipient management make extension of the donor potential possible, with good results for the individual recipient. Liberal use of kidneys from donors after cardiac death may contribute to a reduction in the waiting list for kidney transplantation and dialysis associated mortality.     

Kidney transplantation from donation after cardiac death donors: lack of impact of delayed graft function on post‐transplant outcomes

Singh RP, Farney AC, Rogers J, Zuckerman J, Reeves‐Daniel A, Hartmann E, Iskandar S, Adams P, Stratta RJ. Kidney transplantation from donation after cardiac death donors: lack of impact of delayed graft function on post‐transplant outcomes.
Clin Transplant 2011: 25: 255–264. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Abstract: Introduction: Delayed graft function (DGF) is more common in recipients of kidney transplants from donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors compared to donation after brain death (DBD) donors. Methods: Single‐center retrospective study to evaluate the impact of DGF on controlled (Maastricht category III) DCD donor kidney transplant outcomes. Results: From 10/01 to 6/08, 578 adult deceased donor kidney transplants were performed including 70 (12%) from DCD and 508 (88%) from DBD donors. Mean follow‐up was 36 months. DCD donor kidney transplants had significantly greater rates of DGF (57% DCD vs. 21% DBD, p < 0.0001)) and acute rejection (29% DCD vs. 16% DBD, p = 0.018) compared to DBD donor kidney transplants, but patient and graft survival rates were similar. DBD donor kidney transplants with DGF (n = 109) had significantly greater rates of death‐censored graft loss (12.5% DCD vs. 31% DBD), primary non‐function (0 DCD vs. 10% DBD) and higher 2 year mean serum creatinine levels (1.4 DCD vs. 2.7 mg/dL DBD) compared to DCD donor kidney transplants with DGF (n = 40, all p < 0.04). On univariate analysis, the presence of acute rejection and older donor age were the only significant risk factors for death‐censored graft loss in DCD donor kidney transplants, whereas DGF was not a risk factor. Conclusion: Despite higher rates of DGF and acute rejection in DCD donor kidney transplants, subsequent outcomes in DCD donor kidney transplants with DGF are better than in DBD donor kidney transplants experiencing DGF, and similar to outcomes in DCD donor kidney transplants without DGF.     

Kidney transplantation from living related donors aged more than 60 years: a single center experience

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate whether the outcomes of renal grafts from living related donors more than 60 years old are acceptable, in terms of renal function and patient/graft survival. Material and Methods: Twenty-one patients who received kidneys from donors older than 60 years constituted the study group (Group 1). The control group (Group 2) consisted of 110 patients who received renal transplants from ideal donors, aged 18 to 45 years. The recipients were analyzed for posttransplantation serum creatinine, the number of acute rejection episodes and delayed graft function, and patient/graft survival. Results: The mean age of donors was 62.6?±?2.2 years in Group 1 and 32.8?±?7.0 years in Group 2. Recipient serum creatinine was higher on postoperative day 1, year 1, year 5 in Group 1 than that in Group 2 (536.8?±?203.3 vs. 409.8?±?213.8, 142.4?±?38.2 vs. 100.3?±?22.9, 152.6?±?42.7 vs. 107.1?±?22.1, respectively; all p?<?0.05). Acute rejection was seen in 4 cases in Group 1 (19.0%) and in 15 cases in Group 2 (13.6%; p?=?0.759). Delayed graft function was seen in two cases in Group 1 (9.5%) and in four cases in Group 2 (3.6%; p?=?0.540). One-, 3- and 5-year patient survival was 100%, 100% and 100% for Group 1, and 97%, 97% and 97% for Group 2. Corresponding death-censored graft survival was 100%, 100% and 100% for Group 1, and 98%, 98% and 96% for Group 2. No significant difference was observed in terms of patient/graft survival. Conclusions: Although compromising renal function, donor age did not affect patient and graft survival in the 5-year follow-up in our study. Age alone seems not to be an exclusion criterion to living kidney donation.     

Lung transplantation from uncontrolled and controlled donation after circulatory death: similar outcomes to brain death donors

Controlled donation after circulatory death donors (cDCD) are becoming a frequent source of lungs grafts worldwide. Conversely, lung transplantations (LTx) from uncontrolled donors (uDCD) are sporadically reported. We aimed to review our institutional experience using both uDCD and cDCD and compare to LTx from brain death donors (DBD). This is a retrospective analysis of all LTx performed between January 2013 and December 2019 in our institution. Donor and recipient characteristics were collected and univariate, multivariate and survival analyses were carried out comparing the three cohorts of donors. A total of 239 (84.7%) LTx were performed from DBD, 29 (10.3%) from cDCD and 14 (5%) from uDCD. There were no statistically significant differences in primary graft dysfunction grade 3 at 72 h, 30- and 90-day mortality, need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation after procedure, ICU and hospital length of stay, airway complications, CLAD incidence or survival at 1 and 3 years after transplant (DBD: 87.1% and 78.1%; cDCD: 89.7% and 89.7%; uDCD: 85.7% and 85.7% respectively; P = 0.42). Short- and mid-term outcomes are comparable between the three types of donors. These findings may encourage and reinforce all types of donation after circulatory death programmes as a valid and growing source of suitable organs for transplantation.     

脑死亡来源供肝肝移植9例临床分析

目的总结使用脑死亡来源供肝肝移植的临床经验,初步分析脑死亡来源供肝应用于临床的安全性。方法2006年1月至2007年12月我院器官移植科共实施9例脑死亡来源供肝肝移植。供体年龄16～43岁,死于颅脑外伤7例,死于脑血管意外2例,器官切取前平均动脉压(105±5.2)mmHg(1mmHg=1.333kPa)(6例需使用升压药物),肝功能检测丙氨酸转氨酶(175±40)U/L,天冬氨酸转氨酶(180±46)U/L,总胆红素(40±8.6)mmol/L。受者年龄(48.6±10.1)岁,男性8例,女性1例;术前诊断为肝硬化5例,肝癌4例,术前MELD评分(27.6±6.7)分。结果供肝冷缺血时间为(7.4±2.8)h,所有患者手术顺利。1例于术后7天死于肾功能衰竭。8例受者康复出院并随访6～24个月,1例于术后24个月死于肿瘤复发,其他并发症发生包括急性排斥反应2例,胆道狭窄并感染1例,胆道缺血1例,肺部感染1例。结论按照我们选择脑死亡供肝的原则,肝移植受者术后近期及中期预后良好,具有临床应用前景。     

Urological complications and their impact on survival after kidney transplantation from deceased cardiac death donors

Urological complications after kidney transplantation may result in significant morbidity and mortality. However, the incidence of such complications after deceased cardiac death (DCD) donor kidney transplantation and their effect on survival is unknown. Purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence of urological complications after DCD kidney transplantation, and to estimate their impact on survival. Patient records of all 76 DCD kidney transplantations in the period 1997–2004 were reviewed for (urological) complications during the initial hospitalization until 30 days after discharge, and graft survival until the last hospital visit. Urological complications occurred in 32 patients (42.1%), with leakage and/or obstruction occurring in seven patients (9.2%). The latter seems to be comparable with the incidence reported in the literature for deceased heart-beating (DHB) transplantations (range 2.5–10%). Overall graft survival was 92% at 1 year and 88% at 3 years, comparable to the rates reported in the literature for kidneys from DHB donors, and was not affected by urological complications (χ² = 0.27, P  = 0.61). Only a first warm-ischaemia time of 30 min or more reduced graft survival (χ² = 4.38, P  < 0.05). We conclude that urological complications occur frequently after DCD kidney transplantation, but do not influence graft survival. The only risk factor for reduced graft survival in DCD transplant recipients was the first warm-ischaemia time.     

Lung transplantation from donation after cardiac death (non-heart-beating) donors

Although lung transplantation is a well-accepted treatment for advanced lung diseases, donor shortage remains a significant limiting factor resulting in an increasing number of deaths of people on waiting lists. Recently, some transplant centers have begun to use lungs retrieved from donors after circulatory arrest. This review outlines the relevant published experimental data and clinical experiences with lung transplantation from donation after cardiac-death donors (DCDs) or non-heart-beating donors (NHBDs). Techniques for lung preservation and ex vivo lung assessment of DCD (NHBD) lungs are reviewed, and aspects of primary graft dysfunction after DCD (NHBD) lung transplantation are discussed. This review was submitted at the invitation of the editorial committee.     

Liver transplantation from donation after cardiac death donors: initial Belgian experience 2003–2007

The Belgian experience with donation after cardiac death (DCD) liver transplantation (LT) was retrospectively reviewed, particularly evaluating patient and graft survivals, and biliary complications. From 2003 to 2007, 58 DCD‐LT were performed in Belgium. Mean procurement total warm ischemia time was 25 ± 2 min (mean ± SEM). Mean cold ischemia time was 451 ± 18 min. Mean follow‐up was 23 ± 2.2 months. Post‐transplant peak aspartate aminotransminases was 2241 ± 338 UI/l. Patient survivals at 1 month, 1 and 3 years, were 91.3%, 83.3% and 66.9% respectively. Graft survivals at 1 month, 1 and 3 years, were 84.4%, 72.4% and 48.8% respectively. Two patients (3.4%) developed primary nonfunction. Regarding the biliary complications, seven grafts (12%) were lost because of intrahepatic cholangiopathy, and 12 other patients (20.6%) developed bile duct stenoses requiring endoscopic and/or surgical management. The rate of symptomatic ischemic biliary lesions for grafts surviving more than 3 months was 38% (19/50). Although DCD organ donors may be a source of viable liver grafts, results were inferior to those obtained with donation after brain death LT in this series. Prognostic criteria have to be developed to improve results of DCD‐LT.     

Safety of dual kidney transplantation compared to single kidney transplantation from expanded criteria donors: a single center cohort study of 39 recipients

Our objective was to compare the outcomes of dual kidney transplanataion (DKT) to single kidney transplantation (SKT) performed with grafts from expanded criteria donors (ECD) in recipients ≥65 years, focusing on surgical complications. All kidney transplantations (KT) performed between 2006 and 2014 in our institution were analysed. DKT was indicated according to the criteria of the French national Agence de la Biomedecine. Thirty‐nine DKT and 155 SKT were included, with a median follow‐up of 36 and 26.5 months, respectively. The rate of early surgical revisions was not significantly higher after DKT (23.1% vs 15.5% (P = 0.2593)) but more venous graft thromboses (12.8% vs 3.2% (P = 0.02)) were reported. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) 24 months after KT was significantly higher after DKT (45.0 ± 16.3 vs 39.8 ± 13.8 ml/min/1.73m²; P = 0.04) and allowed shorter waiting time without a significant increased risk of surgical revision, excepted for venous graft thrombosis, more frequent after DKT. Graft survivals were not significantly different and GFR was higher after DKT. DKT seems to remain an appropriate strategy to address the growing graft shortage in elderly patients.     

Liver transplantation from donation after cardiac death: a single center experience

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation (LT) from controlled donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors has increased steadily during the past decade because of the donor shortage in the United States. Although early reports of LT from DCD donors provided evidence for acceptable outcomes, long-term graft and patient survival rates from these procedures have been reviewed only recently. METHODS: From February 1990 to June 2006, 1209 LTs were performed from donation after brain death (DBD) donors, and 24 were performed from DCD donors at our institution. Detailed review of donor and recipient characteristics, and survival rates were evaluated in the two groups. RESULTS: One- and 3-year patient survival was similar in both groups, (DCD 86.8%, 81.7% vs. DBD 84.0%, 76.0%, respectively; P=0.713). Graft survival appeared inferior in the DCD group compared with the DBD group at 1 year (69.1% vs. 78.7%) and 3 years (58.6% vs. 70.2%), but there was no statistical difference (P=0.082). There were no significant differences in hepatic artery thrombosis, portal vein thrombosis, primary nonfunction, and biliary stricture between the two groups. All cases with biliary stricture in DCD group finally led to graft loss, and all survived with retransplantation. CONCLUSION: The outcome of LT from DCD donors remains acceptable in our institution. Although biliary complication rate was similar in two groups, the consequence of this complication in DCD was more severe and often led to graft loss. Close observation of biliary complications after LT from DCD donors would be beneficial.     

Negative impact of prolonged cold storage time before machine perfusion preservation in donation after circulatory death kidney transplantation

Kidney grafts are often preserved initially in static cold storage (CS) and subsequently on hypothermic machine perfusion (MP). However, the impact of CS/MP time on transplant outcome remains unclear. We evaluated the effect of prolonged CS/MP time in a single‐center retrospective cohort of 59 donation after circulatory death (DCD) and 177 matched donation after brain death (DBD) kidney‐alone transplant recipients. With mean overall CS/MP times of 6.0 h/30.0 h, overall incidence of delayed graft function (DGF) was higher in DCD transplants (30.5%) than DBD transplants (7.3%, P < 0.0001). In logistic regression, DCD recipient (P < 0.0001), longer CS time (P = 0.0002), male recipient (P = 0.02), and longer MP time (P = 0.08) were associated with higher DGF incidence. In evaluating the joint effects of donor type (DBD vs. DCD), CS time (<6 vs. ≥6 h), and MP time (<36 vs. ≥36 h) on DGF incidence, one clearly sees an unfavorable effect of MP time ≥36 h (P = 0.003) across each donor type and CS time stratum, whereas the unfavorable effect of CS time ≥6 h (P = 0.01) is primarily seen among DCD recipients. Prolonged cold ischemia time had no unfavorable effect on renal function or graft survival at 12mo post‐transplant. Long CS/MP time detrimentally affects early DCD/DBD kidney transplant outcome when grafts were mainly preserved by MP; prolonged CS time before MP has a particularly negative impact in DCD kidney transplantation.     

Successful kidney transplantation from a donation after cardiac death donor with acute renal failure and bowel infarction using extracorporeal support

As a result of the ever widening disparity between organ supply and demand, a resurgence of interest has occurred in kidney recovery from donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors. New techniques of in situ extracorporeal support offer the potential to reduce warm ischemic injury and optimize donor management prior to organ recovery. In addition, preliminary outcomes using kidneys from selected deceased donors with rising serum creatinine levels have been promising. However, contraindications to successful organ donation and transplantation may include the presence of abdominal compartment syndrome, generalized bowel infarction, refractory shock with profound metabolic and lactic acidosis, and acute anuric renal failure, particularly in the setting of DCD. We report herein the successful recovery and transplantation of kidneys from an unstable donor with the above constellation of conditions in the setting of extracorporeal support after declaration of death by asystole.     

Comparison of in situ preservation techniques for kidneys from donors after circulatory death: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundSeveral techniques have been developed to reduce the warm ischaemic injury of donation after circulatory death (DCD) organs before procurement. There are scarce data about the in situ preservation techniques for kidney graft outcomes. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the best in situ preservation method for kidney graft outcomes from organs obtained from controlled and uncontrolled DCD.MethodsA systematic review of the PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, LILACS and Cochrane databases was conducted. Studies that compare two or more in situ preservation techniques were identified and included. Only studies which provided enough data to calculate odds ratio were eligible for meta-analysis. PROSPERO registration: CRD42020179598.ResultsThe search strategy yielded 7,121 studies. Ultimately, 14 retrospective studies were included. Because of heterogeneity, the included studies provided weak evidence that normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) is the best in situ preservation technique in terms of delayed graft function (DGF) rates. Regarding primary nonfunction (PNF), we carried out a meta-analysis of 10 studies with a pooled OR of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.40–1.71), for the NRP. In regard to DGF, pooled OR for NRP was 0.36 (95% CI: 0.25–0.54).ConclusionsNRP in the DCD donor could improve kidney graft function and be considered the in situ preservation technique of choice for abdominal organs.