Early Vascular Thrombosis After Kidney Transplantation: Can We Predict Patients at Risk?

BACKGROUND

Renal transplant is the therapy of choice for patients with chronic renal disease. In recent years, improvement in immunosuppressive drugs reduced early graft loss associated with acute rejection. However, vascular thrombosis, accounting for 5% of early graft loss, can sensitize the recipient for human leukocyte antibodies, reducing the chance for a second transplant. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for vascular thrombosis in a single transplant center, to design specific prevention protocol.

METHODS

This was a retrospective, case-control study. From the Renal Transplant Unit database, we identified 21 cases of vascular thrombosis in recipients of kidneys from deceased donors. Recipients from the contralateral kidney from the same donor, without vascular complications, were assigned to the control group. Data analyzed included donor, recipient, transplant surgery, and post-operative follow-up. The local ethics committee approved the protocol.

RESULTS

Thrombosis and control groups were comparable for recipient characteristics, cold ischemia time, organ side (right or left), and site of arterial anastomosis. We observed an increased risk for vascular thrombosis in kidneys with multiple veins (odds ratio, 11.32; P = .03). Organ retrieval surgery complications, such as vascular lesions or heterogeneous perfusion, despite normal pre-implantation biopsy, were considered risk factors for vascular thrombosis within the first post-operative day (odds ratio, 7.1; P = .03).

CONCLUSIONS

In this series, multiple renal vein and organ retrieval surgery complications were risk factors for early vascular thrombosis.