Short-, Mid-, and Long-term Outcomes after Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation in Patients with Acute Kidney Injury.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in hospitalized patients and may occur in potential kidney donors. Observational studies have suggested that kidney transplantation in patients with AKI is feasible and safe, but no systematic evaluation has been performed.

METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the outcomes of kidney transplantation in patients with AKI. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, Google Scholar, and other databases for studies reporting outcomes of donor kidneys with AKI. We included single-center, multicenter, and registry-based studies and analyzed them according to the definition and severity of AKI. Endpoints were primary and delayed graft function (PNF, DGF), length of hospital stay, rejection, graft function, patient and graft survival at one, three, five, and eight to ten years after transplantation. This study was registered in PROSPERO, number CRD42021260088.

RESULTS: We identified 33 single-center, 4 multicenter, and 7 registry studies with more than 100,000 patients published between 2005 and 2022. Recipients from donors with AKI had a higher risk of delayed graft function (RR 1.51, 95% CI 1.35-1.68). Graft function at discharge was worse in the AKI group (MDCrea (95%CI): 0.96 mg/dl (0.36-1.56 I2=96%), MDGFR (95%CI): -8.88 ml/min1.73 m2 (-15.32 - -2.44 I2=93%)), but improved thereafter and was similar in both groups at 3 months after transplantation (MDCrea (95%CI): -0.05 mg/dl (-0.18-0.07 I2=0%), MDGFR (95%CI): -1.83 ml/min1.73 m2 (-5.29 - 1.63 I2=91%)). PNF and patient and graft survival were simila at one, three, five, and eight to ten years after transplantation. There were no differences in rejections regardless of AKI definition and severity.

CONCLUSION: Transplantation of kidneys with AKI is associated with satisfactory short- and long-term outcomes and should be pursued to increase the donor pool.