Pulsatile Pump Decreases Risk of Delayed Graft Function in Kidneys Donated After Cardiac Death

Pulsatile Pump Decreases Risk of Delayed Graft Function in Kidneys Donated After Cardiac Death

Organ storage techniques have been under scrutiny to determine the best preservation method, particularly in donation after cardiac death (DCD) kidneys. Conflicting literature on the benefit of pulsatile perfusion (PP) over cold storage (CS) warrants further investigation. We analyzed the risk of developing delayed graft function (DGF) in recipients of DCD and donation after brain death (DBD) kidneys undergoing PP or CS. We stratified on basis of cold ischemic time (CIT) to determine the interaction of preservation techniques, CIT and DCD kidneys on developing DGF. Of 54 136 recipients, 4923 received DCD kidneys of which 3330 (67%) underwent PP. Of 49 213 DBD recipients, 7531 (15%) underwent PP. DCD had a higher risk of DGF versus DBD (adjusted odds ratio, AOR 3.2; 3.0-3.5). PP kidneys had less DGF (AOR 0.59; 0.56-0.63) compared to CS. Interaction models of method by donor type referenced to PP/DBD revealed CS/DBD kidneys had higher DGF (AOR 1.8; 1.7-1.9), whereas CS/DCD kidneys had the highest risk of DGF (AOR 5.01; 4.43-5.67). Even though suggestive for a benefit of PP on DGF, this retrospective analysis cannot address whether this is an intrinsic effect of PP or is associated with the logistics of PP such as discard of DCD kidneys based on pump parameters.

Prediction of Delayed Graft Function by Means of a Novel Web-Based Calculator: A Single-Center Experience

Prediction of Delayed Graft Function by Means of a Novel Web-Based Calculator: A Single-Center Experience:

Renal failure persisting after renal transplant is known as delayed graft function (DGF). DGF predisposes the graft to acute rejection and increases the risk of graft loss. In 2010, Irish et al. developed a new model designed to predict DGF risk. This model was used to program a web-based DGF risk calculator, which can be accessed via
http://www.transplantcalculator.com
. The predictive performance of this score has not been tested in a different population. We analyzed 342 deceased-donor adult renal transplants performed in our hospital. Individual and population DGF risk was assessed using the web-based calculator. The area under the ROC curve to predict DGF was 0.710 (95% CI 0.653–0.767, p < 0.001). The “goodness-of-fit” test demonstrates that the DGF risk was well calibrated (p = 0.309). Graft survival was significantly better for patients with a lower DGF risk (5-year survival 71.1% vs. 60.1%, log rank p = 0.036). The model performed well with good discrimination ability and good calibration to predict DGF in a single transplant center. Using the web-based DGF calculator, we can predict the risk of developing DGF with a moderate to high degree of certainty only by using information available at the time of transplantation.