Lower rate of family refusal for organ donation in non-heart-beating versus brain-dead donors.

INTRODUCTION: Family refusal is an important factor that limits the number of organ donors. Cultural and religious factors as well as perception of brain death are the principal reasons for these refusals. We examined whether the type of potential donor, that is brain-dead or non-heart-beating, had an influence on family refusal. In July 2005, we initiated a program of non-heart-beating donors who had died in the street or at home. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared family refusals among these potential donors with those among potential brain-dead donors from July 2005 to October 2008. RESULTS: The mean time of stay in the hospital was significantly greater for brain-dead donors than those who were non-heart-beating: 4 +/- 2 versus 0.23 +/- 0.01 days (P < .01). The rate of family refusals was significantly greater among the families of potential brain-dead donors, that is 24% (24/99) than non-heart-beating donors, that is, 4% (2/47; P < .01). Donor age was similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: The rate of family refusals among potential non-heart-beating donors was significantly lower than that among families of brain-dead individuals. Greater understanding of death because the heart is not beating, less time of uncertainty about death, and shorter hospital stay could explain this difference.

Everolimus represents an advance in immunosuppression for patients who have developed cancer after renal transplantation.

Renal transplantation provides the best quality of life for the patients with chronic end-stage renal failure. However, the immunosuppression necessary for graft survival may give rise to infectious complications, an increased risk of cardiovascular and neoplastic diseases, all of which can shorten the patient's survival. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the proliferation signal inhibitor immunosuppressant drugs everolimus among patients who develop neoplasms after renal transplantation. This retrospective study included 25 patients (mean age -56.5 +/- 14.1 years) who were diagnosed with posttransplant neoplastic disease and immunosuppressed with calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs). Treatment was initiated with everolimus with or without CNIs. During the follow-up, the renal function (initial serum creatinine 1.4 mg/dL vs final serum creatinine 1.3 mg/dL) and proteinuria levels (initial 0.3 g/d vs final 0.4 g/d) remained stable. There was a low percentage of patients with relapse of their tumor. One patient had a relapse of bladder cancer with tumor progression at 3 years; another patient with melanoma developed lymph node invasion. There were neither acute rejection episodes nor cardiovascular complications. The results suggested that tumor relapse was low. The results suggested that immunosuppression with everolimus combined with low doses of CNIs or in single-drug therapy is safe immunosuppression for patients who develop posttransplant malignant diseases.

Relaparotomy after pancreas transplantation: causes and outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Surgical complications after pancreas transplantation, and subsequently relaparotomies, are frequently associated with graft loss, important morbidities, and occasionally patient death. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From March 1995 to September 2008, 118 diabetic patients underwent pancreas transplantation: 109 simultaneous pancreas-kidney and nine pancreas after kidney. There were 68 men and 50 women. Mean age at transplantation was 37.8 +/- 7.8 years (range = 25-66). We analyzed donor and recipient characteristics, rate of relaparotomies, risk factors, as well as patient and graft survivals. RESULTS: Forty patients (33.9%) underwent one or more relaparotomies. The causes for relaparotomy were: graft thrombosis in 15 patients (12.7%), bleeding in 14 (11.9%), duodenal stump leak in 7 (5.9%), severe pancreatitis and/or abscess in 5 (4.2%), and small bowel obstruction in 3 (2.5%). Graft pancreatectomy was performed in 52.5% (21 patients). The causes of graft loss were: graft thrombosis in 15 patients (12.7%), bleeding in 14 (11.9%), and duodenal stump leaks in 7 (5.9%). Mortality rate after relaparotomy was 3.38% (four patients). Relaparotomy rate for thrombosis was higher among the portoiliac than the portocaval vein anastomosis group (20.0% vs 10.2%; P = NS), and significantly higher for the bladder drainage than the enteric drainage technique (18.2% vs 5.8%; P < .05). Patients without relaparotomy experienced a significantly higher 5-year graft survival rate than those who underwent relaparotomy (87.2% vs 37.9%; P < .001), but 5-year patient survivals were similar (96.8% without relaparotomy vs 89.6% with relaparotomy). CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal complications and the necessity for relaparotomy were associated with important morbidity and significantly reduced pancreas graft survival.

Influence of dialysis modality on complications and patient and graft survival after pancreas-kidney transplantation.

INTRODUCTION: We investigated whether hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis prior to pancreas-kidney transplantation was a risk factor for the development of surgical complications, recipient mortality, or graft loss. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From March 1995 to December 2006, 90 patients with type 1 diabetes underwent pancreas transplantation. Dialysis before transplantation was provides to 81 patients. We compared outcomes of recipients classified as two groups: (A) hemodialysis (n = 49, 60.5%) versus (B) peritoneal dialysis (n = 32, 39.5%) groups. RESULTS: Donor and recipient characteristics were similar in both groups. Enteric drainage was more frequently used in the hemodialysis group and bladder drainage in the peritoneal dialysis group (P < .05). The rate of intra-abdominal infections was similar in both groups: 10 patients (20.4%) in the hemodialysis group and 9 patients (28.1%) in the peritoneal dialysis group (P = NS). The incidence of enteric or bladder leakage was slightly higher in the peritoneal dialysis group (5 cases, 15.6% vs 4 cases, 8.2% in the hemodialysis group; P = NS). The rate of reoperations was also slightly higher in the peritoneal dialysis group B (15 cases, 46.9% vs 14 cases, 28.6% in the hemodialysis group; P = .07). Pancreas transplantectomy was significantly greater in the peritoneal dialysis (9 cases; 28.1%) than the hemodialysis group (5 cases; 10.2%; P < .05). The actuarial 3-year patient survival was 95.9% in the hemodialysis group and 93.4% in the peritoneal dialysis group (P = NS); actuarial 3-year pancreas graft survival was 79.3% in the hemodialysis group and 68.3% in the peritoneal dialysis group (P = NS). CONCLUSIONS: We noted an insignificantly greater rate of reoperations but significantly higher incidence of pancreas transplantectomy in the peritoneal dialysis group; however, patient and pancreas graft survivals were similar in both study groups.

Ten years of treatment with tacrolimus is related to an excellent renal function, allowing monotherapy in a large proportion of cases: unicentric results of the tacrolimus versus cyclosporine A European Multicentric Study in kidney transplant patients.

Tacrolimus (Tac) is the most frequently used base inmunosuppressant for transplantation in Spain and the United States. However, long-term data on its use in renal transplant patients are lacking. The aim of this study was to analyze the 10-year outcome of patients from our institution treated with Tac or cyclosporine (CsA) who were included in the European Multicenter Study of kidney transplantation (1993 to 1994). This trial compared the efficacy and safety of steroids + Tac + azathioprine versus steroids + CsA + azathioprine at 1 year, showing a significantly lower acute rejection rate in Tac patients, with no differences in graft or patient survival. In our long-term analysis, we included patients with a functioning graft after the first year: 15 patients on Tac and 11 on CsA. In the "intent-to-treat" (ITT) analysis, patient survival was 14/15 (93%) versus 9/11 (82%) and death noncensored graft survival was 10/15 (67%) versus 8/11 (73%) in Tac and CsA, respectively. Analyzing patients "into treatment" (TT), death/noncensored graft survival was 11/16 (69%) versus 6/9 (67%), respectively. Serum creatinine tended to be lower in Tac group (ITT 1.26 +/- 0.42 vs 1.63 +/- 1.16 mg/dL, P = NS; TT 1.23 +/- 0.4 vs 1.86 +/- 1.28 mg/dL, P = NS). However, in the TT analysis, Tac patients exhibited a significantly better creatinine clearance (89.3 +/- 40 vs 46.8 +/- 21 mL/min, P = .037) and lower systolic blood pressure (125 +/- 5 vs 140 +/- 12 mm Hg, P = .007) at 10 years. No other significant differences were observed in blood pressure, lipid profile, or glucose metabolism. Outstandingly, Tac monotherapy was the most frequently used regimen after 10 years: ITT 6/9 (67%) versus 1/8 (12.5%), P = .05, TT 7/10 (70%) versus 0/6 (0%), P = .011. Patients under Tac monotherapy exhibited an excellent graft function (serum creatinine 1.08 +/- 0.14 mg/dL) and negative proteinuria, with Tac trough levels of 7.9 +/- 1.3 ng/mL. In summary, our results suggest that Tac-based immunosuppression provides an excellent kidney function 10 years after transplantation and allows monotherapy in a high percentage of kidney transplant patients.

Incidence of pancreas graft thrombosis in portoiliac and portocaval venous anastomosis.

BACKGROUND: Pancreas graft thromboses represent more than 70% of all technical failures; multiple risk factors have been implicated. We analyzed the thrombosis rates using portoiliac versus portocaval vein anastomoses. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The series includes 53 patients who underwent pancreas transplantation: 49 simultaneous pancreas-kidney and 4 pancreas after kidney. There were 27 men and 26 women, of mean age of 37.2 +/- 7.0 years. We compared two groups of recipients that were classified according to venous anastomosis: (A) portoiliac (n = 30), and (B) portocaval (n = 23). RESULTS: The recipients did not show significant differences in age, gender, or duration of diabetes mellitus, but body mass index was significantly higher among the portocaval group. A bladder-drained pancreas technique was more frequently performed in the portoiliac group (93% of patients) versus an enteric-drained pancreas in the portocaval group (81%; P < .001). Heparinization was performed in 12 recipients: 11 (36.6%) in the portoiliac group and 1 (4.3%) in the portocaval group (P < .01). Vascular graft thrombosis (venous in six and arterial in one) developed in seven patients (13.2%) all in the portoiliac group (23%) (P < .02). Two-year patient survival was 93% in the portoiliac group and 94% in portocaval group (P = NS). Two-year graft survival was 66.6% in the portoiliac group and 85.9% in portocaval group (P = .07). CONCLUSION: There was no graft thrombosis among patients with a portocaval vein anastomosis.

Estudio comparativo sobre el tratamiento de la anemia renal en el paciente en hemodiálisis: cambio de vía de administración de epoetina alfa frente a conversión a darbepoetina / Change of epo treatment from subcutaneous epoetin to intravenous epoetin or darbepoetin alpha

Este estudio clínico, prospectivo, de dos brazos, evaluó la eficacia en el mantenimiento de los niveles de hemoglobina (Hb) entre 11 y 13 gr/dl, y la seguridad, del cambio de vía de administración (de subcutánea a intravenosa) de epoetina (rHuEPO) alfa a equidosis, frente a la conversión a darbepoetina, tomando como referencia la equivalencia en masa peptídica entre ambas, en pacientes con insuficiencia renal crónica (IRC) en hemodiálisis. Un total de 112 pacientes previamente tratados con epoetina, sin modificación en la dosis en las 8 semanas previas al estudio, y niveles estables de Hb, fueron incluidos. El 92,1 por ciento finaliza el periodo de seguimiento (24 semanas). Tras el cambio de vía de administración de rHuEPO se objetivó un incremento significativo en el índice de resistencia (IRE, dosis semanal por kilogramo de peso/niveles de hemoglobina), con valores medios de 2,73 (p < 0,018) y 4,37 (p < 0,001) a las 16 y 24 semanas, respectivamente, requiriendo un incremento de dosis mayor del 15 por ciento sobre la basal el 61,1 por ciento de los pacientes. La conversión a darbepoetina, independientemente de la vía de administración, se acompañó de un descenso del IRE desde la octava semana (niveles medios de 0,012, 0,018 y 0,023 a las 8, 16 y 24 semanas, respectivamente), significativa (p<0,001) en los 3 puntos de corte del estudio. El factor de conversión se incrementó de forma significativa hasta 1:260 en la 24 semana. Ambos factores estimulantes eritropoyéticos (FEE) fueron bien tolerados, no apreciándose efectos adversos inesperados. En conclusión, el tratamiento con darbepoetina de la anemia en el paciente con IRC en hemodiálisis previamente tratado con rHuEPO, se muestra más eficaz que la utilización de epoetina por vía intravenosa, mejorando significativamente el índice de resistencia. Además, el tratamiento con darbepoetina resulta bien tolerado en estos pacientes (AU)

[Change of EPO treatment from subcutaneous epoetin to intravenous epoetin or darbepoetin alpha]. / Estudio comparativo sobre el tratamiento de la anemia renal en el paciente en hemodiálisis: cambio de vía de administración de epoetina alfa frente a conversión a darbepoetina.

This prospective, two-arm, clinical trial assesses the effectiveness in maintaining the levels of haemoglobin (Hb) between 11 and 13 g/d1 and the safety of changing the administration route (from subcutaneous to intravenous) of epoetin (rHuEPO) alpha at equidose versus a changeover to darbepoetin alpha, taking the exact equivalence in peptide mass between the two as referent in patients with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) in haemodialysis. A total of 112 patients previously treated with epoetin and no dose modification during the 8 weeks prior to the study and stable levels of Hb were included. Of these, 92.1% finished the follow-up period (24 weeks). After changing the administration route of rHuEPO, a significant increase in the resistance index (REI, weekly dose per kilogram of weight/levels of hemoglobin) was observed with mean values of 2.73 (p < 0.018) and 4.37 (p < 0.001) after 16 and 24 weeks respectively, requiring an increase of the dose greater than 15% over the baseline in 6 1.1% of the patients. The changeover to, darbepoetin alpha, independently of the administration route, was accompanied by a decrease in REI starting in the 8th week (mean levels of 0.012, 0.018 and 0.023 after 8, 16 and 24 weeks respectively), significant (p < 0.001) at the 3 cutoff points of the study. The conversion factor increased significantly up to 1:260 in week 24. Both erythropoietic stimulating factors (EST) were well tolerated and no unexpected side effects were observed. In conclusion, treatment of anaemia with darbepoetin alpha in patients with CRI in haemodialysis previously treated with rHuEPO proved to be more effective than the use of epoetin intravenously, significantly improving the resistance index. In addition, the treatment with darbepoetin alpha was well tolerated in these patients.

El donante marginal en el trasplante renal / The marginal donor in renal transplantation

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Double versus single renal allografts from aged donors.

BACKGROUND: The age limit of the cadaver kidney donors is increasing in response to the growing demand for renal transplantation. Simultaneous double kidney transplantation (SDKT) with kidneys obtained from elderly adults has been proposed to increase the transplantation number and improve its results. However, if SDKT is performed when there are no clear indications, a negative effect could be produced on the total number of transplanted patients as both kidneys would be used for only one recipient. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In December 1996 we designed a transplantation protocol to be able to extend the selection of cadaver kidney donors with normal serum creatinine levels without establishing any age limit. A pregraft renal biopsy was always performed to analyze the glomerulosclerosis (GE) percentage whenever the donors were 60 years of age or older. A SDKT was performed in a single recipient when the donor age was 75 years or older or when the donors between 60 and 74 years old had a GE rate of more than 15%. On the contrary, a single kidney transplantation was performed in two different recipients for kidneys from donors between 60 and 74 years of age with a GE rate of less than 15%. Kidneys having GE rates of more than 50% were discarded for transplantation. Donor kidneys from subjects younger than 60 years of age were always used for a single kidney transplantation. RESULTS: Based on the above mentioned protocol, from December 1996 to May 1998, 181 patients received a kidney transplantation in our hospital. These patients were divided into three groups: group I which included the SDKT recipients (n=21), group II or single kidney recipients from 60- to 74-year-old donors (n=40), and group III or recipients from <60-year-old donors (n=120). The mean follow-up time was 15+/-5 months (range 6-24). Mean donor age was 75+/-7 years in group I, this was significantly higher than in group II (67+/-4, P<0.001) and group III (37+/-15, P<0.001). The primary nonfunction rate was low in the three groups, there being no statistically significant differences (5, 5, and 4%, respectively). A significantly greater percentage of patients from group I (76%) presented immediate renal graft function as compared with group II (43%, P<0.01) and III (50%, P<0.05). The acute rejections rate was very low in all three groups (9.5, 7.5, and 22%, respectively) with significant differences between groups II and III (P<0.05). No significant differences between the different groups were observed for one year actuarial patient survival (100, 95, and 98%, respectively) or graft survival rates (95, 90, and 93%, respectively). The 6-month serum creatinine levels were excellent in the three groups, although there were significant differences between groups I and II (1.6+/-0.3 vs. 1.9+/-0.6 mg/dl, P<0.05), II and III (1.9+/-0.6 vs. 1.4+/-0.4 mg/dl, P<0.001), and I and III (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous double kidney transplantations make it possible to use kidneys from extremely elderly donors (>75 years) or those whose GE>15%. In addition, kidneys from donor 60-74 years old in which the GE<15% can be used for single kidney transplantations in two different recipients with excellent results.

Secondary (AA-type) amyloidosis in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica.

Several cases of systemic amyloidosis associated with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) or giant-cell arteritis (GCA) have been described. Nevertheless, the type of amyloid deposit has not been characterized in most of them. Here we report on two patients with PMR (one with associated GCA) who developed nephrotic syndrome and end-stage renal failure caused by massive amyloid deposition. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the amyloid deposits were of AA type (secondary amyloidosis) in both cases.