Why does kidney allograft fail? A long-term single-center experience.

We studied the characteristics and the predictors of survival in Bahraini renal transplant recipients with an allograft that functioned for more than 10 years. Seventy-eight patients underwent renal transplantation between 1982 and 1999. Among them, 56 patients maintained functioning allografts for more than 10 years (range 10-30 years). Characteristics of the surviving patients, data on graft survival, and determinants of outcome were obtained by reviewing all medical records. The mean age at time of renal transplantation was 33.6 ± 15.3 years. The source of the graft in 42 (75%) recipients was from living related donors with a mean age of 31.4 ± 7.7 years, and it was the first graft in 48 recipients. The primary immunosuppression regimen consisted of cyclosporine (CsA) and prednisolone. Azathioprine (AZA) was given to 52 (92.9%) recipients, while four patients received steroids and AZA only. Induction therapy was administered to 30 patients in the CsA group. Acute rejection episodes occurred in eight (14.3%) patients, of whom two experienced two episodes. During the last follow-up in January 2010, the mean serum creatinine was 118.3 ± 46.5 µmol/L. A history of cancer was noted in one patient, whereas hypertension was encountered in 54% and diabetes mellitus in 20.5%. We compared the graft functioning group with the graft failure group and found that the independent determinants of long-term graft survival included time of late acute rejection episodes and histopathologic findings of chronic allograft damage, post-transplant hypertension and serum creatinine at one year. We conclude that renal transplantation even in its earliest years and despite the associated numerous complications has provided a ten-year or more of near-normal life to patients with end-stage renal disease.

Sirolimus-based calcineurin inhibitor withdrawal immunosuppressive regimen in kidney transplantation: a single center experience.

BACKGROUND/AIM: This observational study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the conversion from calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) to sirolimus (SRL)-based immunosuppressive therapy in kidney transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-four kidney recipients of mean age 38.3 +/- 14.6 years were converted to SRL. The main reasons for conversion were elective in 45 (70.3%) and biopsy-proven chronic allograft nephropathy in 11 (17.2%). The primary CNI used was cyclosporine A in 51 patients. Mean time to conversion was 50.5 months. After conversion, 61 patients received mycophenolate mofetil. We evaluated the impact of conversion on renal function for 5 years post-conversion. The overall mean follow-up time was 72.8 months. RESULTS: The analysis showed significant improvement in renal function at month 3 post-conversion (P < 0.05) with stabilization thereafter. Lipid parameters and blood sugar levels were similar pre- and post-conversion. Abnormal liver function test was transient in 12.8%. Reasons for SRL discontinuation were nephrotic range proteinuria in two patients and mouth ulceration in one. We compared patients with serum creatinine <140 micromol/l and those with serum creatinine > or = 140 micromol/l, and found that serum creatinine was an independent risk factor for chronic allograft dysfunction (P = 0.02). Graft loss occurred in three patients because of cardiovascular death in two and an acute rejection episode in one. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that conversion from CNIs to SRL is an option and of benefit without significant acute rejection episodes or chronic allograft dysfunction especially in well-selected kidney transplant recipients with good graft function.

The impact of left ventricular preload reduction on cardiac pulsed Doppler indices during hemodialysis and its relation to intra-dialysis hypotension: a pulsed Doppler study.

Fluid status in the body plays an important role on left ventricular (LV) filling in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on regular hemodialysis (HD), and plays a role in intra-dialysis hemo-dynamic derangement. Fifty-two patients with ESRD on regular HD, including 34 males with a mean age of 45.5 +/- 13 years (range 18-72 years), were studied. All patients underwent Echo-pulsed Doppler study before and immediately after a HD session. The Echo Doppler indices noted were: LV cavity dimension and wall thickness, LV ejection fraction (LVEF%), trans-mitral early diastolic filling velocity (E wave), atrial filling diastolic velocity (A wave), E/A ratio, Deceleration Time (DT) of E wave, Isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT), Aortic Velocity Integral (AVI) and Inferior Vena Cava Diameter (VCD) at expiration. Patients were divided into two groups according to the amount of net ultra filtrate loss after HD. Group I comprised of 25 patients with fluid loss of > or = 2 liters. During the HD session, each patient was observed for the development of acute clinical events such as arterial hypotension (systolic BP less than 90 mmHg), chest pain and arrhythmias. There was a significant difference between the two groups in the mean values, pre- and post- HD, of reduction of E wave velocity (p< 0.01), the reduction of E/A ratio (p< 0.05), the increment in DT of E wave (p< 0.05), the reduction in AVI (p< 0.01) and the reduction of VCD (p< 0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups in the reduction of A wave velocity and the reduction of IVRT. Among the study patients, 11 (21%) developed systolic hypo-tension during HD. The pre-dialysis mean values of E/A ratio and DT of E wave in patients who developed hypotension compared to those who did not was 0.7 +/- 0.2 vs 1.1 +/- 0.2.1 (p< 0.001) and 246 +/- 40 vs 224 +/- 34 msec (p< 0.05), respectively. Our study suggests that preload reduction in patients with ESRD on regular HD is directly proportional to the reduction of left ventricle early filling and prolongation of Deceleration Time of E wave. The potential risk of intra-dialysis hypotension can be predicted, if LV diastolic Pulse Doppler pre-dialysis E/A ratio is less than 0.7 and Deceleration Time of E wave is more than 246 msec. Careful assess-ment of these patients is crucial to prevent hypotension, especially if a large preload reduction is required.