Pretransplant blood transfusions have an additive positive effect on kidney graft prognosis in D/DR-matched rhesus monkeys.

The effect of blood transfusions on kidney graft survival in D/DR-matched host-donor combinations was investigated in rhesus monkeys treated with azathioprine and prednisolone. If host-donor combinations were mismatched for D/DR and no transfusions were given (controls), graft survival ranged from 9 to 22 days. D/DR matching alone led to survival times of 13 to 66 days with 62% of the animals showing a prolonged survival time ( greater than 22 days). However, when three pretransplant blood transfusions were given in D/DR-matched combinations, the range of graft survival was even better: 19 to 73 days with 90% of the recipients surviving for longer than 22 days. The recipients in this group also had a better kidney function in the first weeks after transplantation than that of the nontransfused D/DR-matched group. Therefore, the beneficial effects of D/DR matching and pretransplant transfusions are additive in the rhesus monkey.