Successful transplantation of kidneys from deceased donors with terminal acute kidney injury.

BACKGROUND: There are many doubts with regards to accepting deceased kidneys with acute kidney injury (AKI) for transplantation. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to present the 5-years outcome of kidney transplantation cases where deceased donors developed AKI before organ procurement. METHODS: Two hundred twenty-six deceased renal transplants were analyzed. Data regarding donors and recipients were collected. Terminal AKI was defined as terminal serum creatinine concentration higher than 1.99 mg/dL and 66 such cases were diagnosed. All kidney transplant recipients were followed for 60 months. RESULTS: AKI group presented more episodes of delayed graft function (DGF) compared to the non-AKI group (56% vs 35%, p < .05). No differences were observed between the groups in the rate of acute rejection episodes, kidney function as well as patient and graft survival. CONCLUSIONS: Transplants with AKI present more often DGF and comparable graft survival to transplants without AKI. Kidneys with AKI can be a valuable source of organs provided attentive selection and appropriate care of deceased donors.