Low-pressure pneumoperitoneum during laparoscopic donor nephrectomy to optimize live donors' comfort.

Nowadays, laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) has become the gold standard to procure live donor kidneys. As the relationship between donor and recipient loosens, it becomes of even greater importance to optimize safety and comfort of the surgical procedure. Low-pressure pneumoperitoneum has been shown to reduce pain scores after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Live kidney donors may also benefit from the use of low pressure during LDN. To evaluate feasibility and efficacy to reduce post-operative pain, we performed a randomized blinded study. Twenty donors were randomly assigned to standard (14 mmHg) or low (7 mmHg) pressure during LDN. One conversion from low to standard pressure was indicated by protocol due to lack of progression. Intention-to-treat analysis showed that low pressure resulted in a significantly longer skin-to-skin time (149 ± 86 vs. 111 ± 19 min), higher urine output during pneumoperitoneum (23 ± 35 vs. 11 ± 20 mL/h), lower cumulative overall pain score after 72 h (9.4 ± 3.2 vs. 13.5 ± 4.5), lower deep intra-abdominal pain score (11 ± 3.3 vs. 7.5 ± 3.1), and a lower cumulative overall referred pain score (1.8 ± 1.9 vs. 4.2 ± 3). Donor serum creatinine levels, complications, and quality of life dimensions were not significantly different. Our data show that low-pressure pneumoperitoneum during LDN is feasible and may contribute to increase live donors' comfort during the early post-operative phase.

Time course of proteinuria after living-donor kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND: After cadaveric kidney transplantation, preservation-reperfusion damage results in glomerular and tubular proteinuria. There are no data on the time course of proteinuria after living-donor (LD) transplantation. METHODS: In 10 patients receiving a kidney graft from an LD, the excretion of high molecular weight proteins (albumin, transferrin, and immunoglobulin G) and low molecular weight proteins (beta2-microglobulin and alpha1-microglobulin) was measured at various time points during the first 5 days after transplantation. RESULTS: Immediately after restoration of the circulation, we observed a massive nonselective high molecular weight proteinuria, indicative of glomerular damage. This proteinuria rapidly decreased to slightly elevated values beyond 24 hr after transplantation. Low molecular weight proteinuria, reflecting tubular damage, was also prominent and remained grossly abnormal even at day 5. CONCLUSION: After LD transplantation, preservation-reperfusion injury causes massive proteinuria during the first 24 hr. Thereafter proteinuria rarely exceeds 1 g per day.