Kidney transplant outcome of expanded criteria donors after circulatory death

Controlled Donation After Circulatory Death Using Normothermic Regional Perfusion Does Not Increase Graft Fibrosis in the First Year Posttransplant Surveillance Biopsy

OBJECTIVES

The number of kidney transplants obtained from controlled donations after circulatory death is increasing, with long-term outcomes similar to those obtained with donations after brain death. Extraction using normothermic regional perfusion can improve results with controlled donors after circulatory death; however, information on the histological impact and extraction procedure is scarce.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively investigated all kidney transplants performed from October 2014 to December 2019, in which a follow-up kidney biopsy had been performed at 1-year follow-up, comparing controlled procedures with donors after circulatory death and normothermic regional perfusion versus donors after brain death. Interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy was assessed by adding the values of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy, according to the Banff classification of renal allograft pathology.

RESULTS

When we compared histological data from 66 transplants with donations after brain death versus 24 transplants with donations after circulatory death and normothermic regional perfusion, no differences were found in the degree of fibrosis in the 1-year follow-up biopsy (1.7 ± 1.3 vs 1.7 ± 1.1; P = .971) or in the ratio of patients with increased fibrosis calculated as interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy >2 (18% vs 13%; P = .522). In our multivariate analysis, which included acute rejection, expanded criteria donation, and the type of donation, no variable was independently related to an increased risk of interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy >2.

CONCLUSIONS

The outcomes of kidney grafts procured in our center using controlled procedures with donors after circulatory death and normothermic regional perfusion were indistinguishable from those obtained from donors after brain death, showing the same degree of fibrosis in the 1-year posttransplant surveillance biopsy. Our data support the conclusion that normothermic regional perfusion should be the method of choice for extraction in donors after circulatory death.

Renal Transplantation from a Deceased Donor with Polycystic Kidney Disease

Renal transplantation is the gold standard treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) as it demonstrates improved long-term survival compared to patients who remain on renal replacement therapy. The widening gap between the demand and supply of organs warrants the expansion of donor criteria for renal transplantation. Kidneys with multiple cysts are often rejected for transplantation. Here, we present our recent experience of a 72-year-old patient with ESRD due to a biopsy-proven diabetic nephropathy who received a deceased donor kidney with adult polycystic kidney disease (APKD). At 31-month posttransplant, he had a serum creatinine of 1.6 mg/dL. Deceased donors affected by APKD should be considered an acceptable option for successful renal transplantation in select recipients, as well as an alternative kidney source to increase the donor pool.