Research on Kidney Transplant Failure Rates from Injured Donor Kidneys
Overview of Kidney Transplant Availability
Researchers in the United States examined the failure rates of kidney transplants involving injured donor kidneys. Ideally, a transplant candidate would prefer a kidney that is “immediately available” and “in perfect functioning order.” However, the reality is starkly different. The demand for kidneys far exceeds supply, leading to a troubling statistic: nearly 25% of individuals on waiting lists for a kidney either pass away or become too unwell to undergo the procedure while they wait. A significant contributing factor to this shortage is the frequent discarding of kidneys deemed unsuitable by physicians, who doubt their potential for successful function in recipients.
Patient Outcomes with Injured Donor Kidneys
Despite the challenges, some patients have reported positive outcomes after receiving kidneys from injured donors. A multidisciplinary team of researchers analyzed the performance of kidneys affected by acute kidney injury (AKI) in recipients over a span of three years. Acute kidney injury represents a sudden decline in kidney function, typically occurring in older patients already hospitalized. Due to concerns regarding the viability of transplanting kidneys with this condition, about 30% of such potential donor kidneys remain unused.
Long-Term Study Findings
Recent studies have indicated that patients who received transplants from kidneys with acute kidney injury experienced favorable outcomes six months post-surgery. The primary aim of the new research was to investigate whether these positive results persisted over a longer duration—specifically, four years after the transplant—and to identify any influencing factors. The findings were published in the journal Kidney International.
The researchers evaluated 585 kidney transplants sourced from deceased donors with acute kidney injury and compared them to 1,845 transplants from donors without this condition. The study concluded that the performance of kidneys from donors with acute kidney injury was comparable to those from donors without such injuries. Importantly, no additional factors were found to affect the success of the transplanted kidneys.
Recommendations for the Medical Community
In light of these findings, the researchers strongly encourage the medical community involved in kidney transplantation to reconsider the use of kidneys from deceased donors who have experienced acute kidney injury. This recommendation is especially pertinent given the ongoing shortage of available kidneys for transplant.
References
Hall I, Akalin E, Bromberg J, et al. Deceased-donor acute kidney injury is not associated with kidney allograft failure. Kidney Int. 2018. doi:10.1016/j.kint.2018.08.047.
National Kidney Foundation. https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/AcuteKidneyInjury. Last accessed January 18, 2019.