Maintaining urine production and early allograft function during laparoscopic donor nephrectomy.

OBJECTIVES: Intraoperative oliguria and its impact on early postoperative allograft function have been expressed as potential concerns of laparoscopic kidney donation. We evaluated our ability to maintain adequate diuresis during laparoscopic donor nephrectomy and its potential impact on early graft function compared with open donation.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 98 laparoscopic and 80 open donor nephrectomies from 1999 to 2002. All laparoscopic donors received infusions of mannitol (grams of mannitol equaled patient weight in kilograms) and dopamine (2 to 3.0 microg/kg/min) throughout the pneumoperitoneum. All open donors received a single dose of mannitol (12.5 g). Multiple donor variables were compared, including operative time, estimated blood loss, intraoperative fluid administration (in milliliters per kilogram per hour), intraoperative urine production (milliliters per kilogram per hour), and change in creatinine at discharge. The postoperative recipient data were compared, including initial 24-hour urine output, 1-week creatinine level, 1-month creatinine level, and need for postoperative hemodialysis.

RESULTS: No significant differences were noted in the donor groups with respect to age, weight, intraoperative fluid administration, or change in creatinine at discharge. The mean operative urine production was greater in the laparoscopic group at 5.22 mL/kg/hr than in the open group at 2.43 mL/kg/hr (P = 0.0001). The mean estimated blood loss was significantly lower (P = 0.0001) for the laparoscopic donors (106.7 mL) than for the open donors (184.7 mL). No significant differences were seen among the recipient groups.

CONCLUSIONS: The use of mannitol and dopamine infusions during laparoscopic donor nephrectomy provided superior intraoperative urine production in the donor and equivalent early graft function in the recipient compared with the open approach.