Kidney Transplantation at a Southern Brazilian University Hospital: A 35-Year Practice Review.

BACKGROUND: The Nephrology Unit at São Lucas Hospital, a University Hospital in Southern Brazil, has recently reached 35 years since its first kidney transplant. Few centers in the area have made a longitudinal analysis of processes, problems, grafts, and patient survival changes along this time. METHODS: A single-center, retrospective study was performed. Data were separated into different eras, based on the nature of immunosuppression used: pre-cyclosporine (1978-1986), cyclosporine (1987-1997), mycophenolate introduction (1998-2002), new immunosuppressant drugs (2003-2007), and the current period (2008-2013). RESULTS: Between April 27, 1978, and April 30, 2013, 1231 transplants were performed. Significant differences were detected among different eras. The number of transplants has been progressively increasing, to include significantly older recipients (and donors), at a longer waiting list time, receiving organs that underwent longer cold ischemia time (P < .001). Yet, fewer acute rejection episodes and lower incidence of myocardial infarction and post-transplant diabetes mellitus (P < .001) were detected. In the present era, patient survival at 1, 3, and 5 years is 98.3%, 94.6%, and 90.5% respectively, for living donors, and 92.4%, 87.2%, and 80.7% for deceased donors, respectively. Living donor graft survival is 92.2%, 88.7%, and 82.4%, respectively, whereas deceased donor survival is 80.4%, 71.1%, and 63.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective analysis has significant historical value. It assembles and depicts a long follow-up period of a transplant series at a single Brazilian center. Throughout the eras, organ and patient survival increased, with fewer rejection episodes or complications, yet with overall decreased graft function.

Does Thymoglobulin Induction Increase Susceptibility to Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Sepsis-related Death in Expanded Criteria Donors?

BACKGROUND: Solid organ transplant recipients are susceptible to antibiotic-resistant infections and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) has recently been recognized as a serious complication in solid organ recipients. High mortality rates have been described. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 807 transplantations and detected 10 patients who died 24 hours after the diagnosis of septicemia, all with CRAB-positive blood cultures. Recipients were followed up for at least 1 year and were stratified into the following groups: Group 1, patients alive; Group 2, patients that died due to other causes except Acinetobacter infection; and Group 3, patients who died within 24 hours of CRAB diagnosis. RESULTS: CRAB-positive patients died a median of 3.17 (range, 1.81-18.7) months after transplantation. In these patients, expanded criteria donors (ECDs) were more frequent (P < .001), as were the use of anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) induction (P = .02) and delayed graft function (P = .01). For ECD recipients, death rate from any cause, whether induced with ATG or not, was 25% and 20.6%, respectively (odds ratio [OR], 1.28; confidence interval [CI] 95%, 0.56-2.91; P = .68). The death rate from CRAB-related sepsis was 10.3% and 0% whether receiving ATG or not, respectively (OR, 15.49; CI 95%, 0.87-277.16; P = .014). There was a 25.75-fold increase in the death rate in ECD kidney recipients induced with thymoglobulin and with CRAB-related sepsis. CONCLUSION: Transplants from ECDs and induced with thymoglobulin may be at increased risk of CRAB death in 24 hours when compared with patients with standard donors and induced with thymoglobulin.

Acute Graft Pyelonephritis Occurring up to 30 Days After Kidney Transplantation: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Survival.

Acute graft pyelonephritis is a very common infection in renal transplantation. The impact of acute graft pyelonephritis (AGPN) on graft and patient outcome has not yet been established. Eight hundred seventy kidney and kidney-pancreas transplants were retrospectively studied, over last 13 years, to verify occurrence of AGPN in the first 30 days post-transplantation. We found that 112 patients (15.8%) presented post-transplantatiom AGPN up to 30 days after a kidney transplantation. The occurrence was higher in older patients (P = .005) and in those with ureteral stents (P = .06). Escherichia coli was the most frequent microorganism in urine cultures (32%). Ureteral stent (relative risk = 1.7; confidence interval [CI], 1.1-2.5; P = .018) was a major risk factor for AGPN as well as older ages (RR = 1.02; CI 1.01-1.04; P = .001), length of hospitalization stay (RR = 1.01; CI, 1.01-1.02; P < .001), and anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) induction (RR = 1.6; CI, 1.022-2.561; P = .04). Long-term graft and patient survival was significantly lower in patients with pyelonephritis in the first 30 days after transplantation (OR 1.43; 95% CI, 0.95-2.16; P = .024 and OR 1.77; 95% CI, 1.12-2.80; P = .006, respectively). Acute pyelonephritis in the first 30 days after transplantation is therefore associated with a lower long-term graft and patient survival.

Renal transplantation in human immunodeficiency virus-infected recipients: a case-control study from the Brazilian experience.

BACKGROUND: Highly active antiretroviral therapy has turned human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with end-stage renal disease into suitable candidates for renal transplantation. We present the Brazilian experience with kidney transplantation in HIV-infected recipients observed in a multicenter study. METHODS: HIV-infected kidney transplant recipients and matched controls were evaluated for the incidence of delayed graft function (DGF), acute rejection (AR), infections, graft function, and survival of patients and renal grafts. RESULTS: Fifty-three HIV-infected recipients and 106 controls were enrolled. Baseline characteristics were similar, but a higher frequency of pre-transplant positivity for hepatitis C virus and cytomegalovirus infections was found in the HIV group. Immunosuppressive regimens did not differ, but a trend was observed toward lower use of anti-thymocyte globulin in the group of HIV-infected recipients (P = 0.079). The HIV-positive recipient group presented a higher incidence of treated AR (P = 0.036) and DGF (P = 0.044). Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration estimated that glomerular filtration rate was similar at 6 months (P = 0.374) and at 12 months (P = 0.957). The median number of infections per patient was higher in the HIV-infected group (P = 0.018). The 1-year patient survival (P < 0.001) and graft survival (P = 0.004) were lower, but acceptable, in the group of HIV-infected patients. CONCLUSIONS: In the Brazilian experience, despite somewhat inferior outcomes, kidney transplantation is an adequate therapy for selected HIV-infected recipients.

Prevalence of urinary decoy cells and associated risk factors in a Brazilian kidney, pancreas, and kidney-pancreas transplant population.

BACKGROUND: Polyomavirus BK (BKV) is currently considered one of the most important infectious diseases in kidney transplants recipients. The prevalence of decoy cells (viral containing shed urothelial cells) in these patients varies between 20% and 60%. Of decoy-positive patients, 1%-8% develop BKV nephropathy, a finding that may be associated with graft failure in up to 80% of affected individuals. METHODS: Decoy cells cytology is an easily performed and inexpensive assay useful for poliomavirus infection screening. Data on the prevalence of decoy cells in simultaneous pancreas-kidney or isolated pancreas recipients remains largely unreported. In the present study, we evaluated 221 patients ≥18 years old with >1 month follow-up after transplantation who had attended the outpatient clinic between September and December 2006. RESULTS: The total prevalence of decoy cells was 16% (16.9% in kidney recipients, 5.9% in simultaneous kidney-pancreas recipients and 20% in pancreas alone recipients). There were no differences between patients with either positive or negative urinary cytology for decoy cells, regarding demographic (gender, age, race) or clinical (time posttransplantation, donor type [deceased vs living donation], and presence of delayed graft function or rejection, other associated viral infections and type of immunosuppressive drugs variables.

Cephalic duodenopancreatectomy in the treatment of a bleeding duodenal ulcer in a pancreas recipient: a case report.

Pancreas transplantation is currently the only known therapy to restore glycemic metabolism in type 1 diabetic patients. Its most prevalent indication is in association with kidney transplantation (simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation SPK) for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) and nephropathy, who are under dialysis treatment. Surgical reinterventions, especially those resulting from complications of bladder exocrine pancreatic drainage, are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. In this report, we present a clinical case of a 31-year-old Caucasian man with DM1 from 12 years of age and hemodialysis for 2 years before undergoing SPK 2 years prior. He then developed massive hematuria owing to a bleeding duodenal graft ulcer. The use of a segmental pancreatic technique with pancreaticocystostomy for exocrine pancreatic drainage allowed the maintenance of the graft and an euglycemic state in the patient, free of exogenous insulin.