Presence of peripheral artery disease in renal transplant outcomes - Don't throw the baby out with the bath water

The evaluation of kidney transplant candidates prior to waitlisting: a scoping review

Before patients with kidney failure can undergo kidney transplantation, their suitability is assessed through a transplantation work-up. Variation in the transplantation work-up could contribute to inefficiency and inequality in accessing the transplant waiting list and kidney transplantation. We conducted a scoping review on the evaluation of kidney transplant candidates prior to waitlisting, investigating: (i) content of the transplantation work-up; (ii) contraindications to waitlisting; and (iii) organization of the transplantation work-up. A systematic search was conducted in Ovid Medline and Ovid EMBASE in collaboration with a medical information specialist. Studies investigating practice patterns since 2013 related to the evaluation of adults receiving their first kidney graft from a deceased donor were included. Results from 20 studies showed substantial variation in the evaluation of kidney transplant candidates. The content of the transplantation work-up differed between studied centers, yet common domains included screening for infections, heart disease, peripheral artery disease, and malignancy. Commonly reported contraindications to waitlisting were obesity and age-related factors. However, strict cut-off for BMI and age were used less. The organization of the transplantation work-up differed across studied centers with regard to referral and waitlisting decisions, screening and prioritization, and the setting of the transplantation work-up. Literature on the evaluation of kidney transplant candidates is limited, but our findings suggest substantial variation in pre-waitlisting practices among centers. This may contribute to differences in kidney transplantation access and outcomes between countries. Further research on pre-transplantation practices, specifically regarding the standardization of the transplantation work-up, is needed.

Simultaneous recipient external iliac endarterectomy and renal transplant - a propensity score matched analysis

Patients with end-stage renal disease and severe iliac atherosclerosis are frequently denied renal transplant due to technical challenges, and risk of potential steal syndrome in the allograft, or ipsilateral limb. Few studies have evaluated the safety and efficacy of performing an endarterectomy in this setting. A single-center retrospective review of renal transplant patients from 1/2013 to 12/2017 was performed. Patients requiring endarterectomy at the time of transplant were matched to a nonendarterectomized cohort in a 1:2 fashion using propensity score matching. Patients were followed for a minimum of 12 months. Simultaneous endarterectomy and renal transplant were performed in 23 patients and subsequently matched to 42 controls. Ankle-brachial index was lower in the endarterectomized group (P = 0.04). Delayed graft function (26.1% vs. 19%, P = 0.54), graft loss (8.7% vs. 7.1%, P = 0.53), 1-year mortality (8.7% vs. 4.8%, P = 0.53), and renal function at 12 months were comparable in both groups. There were no incidents of ipsilateral limb loss in the endarterectomized population. This is the first matched study investigating endarterectomy and renal transplant. Long-term follow-up of limb and graft function is indicated. Despite the small sample size, our findings suggest that a combined procedure can safely provide renal transplantation access to a previously underserved population.