Results of kidney transplantation from deceased donors with acute kidney injury.

Background. Different strategies have been initiated to shorten the waiting list time to receive a kidney transplant. Donors with acute kidney injury (AKI) may be a new option. Methods. Fifty-nine patients received a kidney transplant from an AKI donor defined as having serum creatinine >2 mg/dL at the time of organ procurement. They were compared with a transplant group with normal kidney function defined as creatinine <1.5 mg/dL organ procurement in the same time period, paired by donor and recipient age (control group). Initial evolution, at 1 year, and at the end of the follow-up were evaluated. Results. The AKI donor group had greater delayed graft function (68% versus 36%, P < .01). Graft and recipient survival were similar in both groups at 1 year (92% versus 88%, P = NS; 97% versus 98%, P = NS) and at the end of follow-up (66% versus 66%, P = NS; 90% versus 88%, P = NS). Serum creatinine at 1 year and at the end of the follow-up did not show any differences (1.4 +/- 0.5 versus 1.4 +/- 0.7 mg/dL, P = NS; 1.4 +/- 0.5 versus 1.6 +/- 0.9 mg/dL, P = NS). Conclusions. The transplants from donors with AKI showed greater incidence of delayed graft function, but this did not affect the short- or long-term prognosis of the graft or recipient. This type of donor may be a source of acceptable kidneys.