Background: Delayed graft function (DGF) remains an important complication in renal transplantation. In this multicenter study, we investigated the influence of donor and recipient factors on the occurrence of DGF and DGF's effect on long-term graft survival.
Methods: A total of 547 transplanted kidney allografts, retrieved from multi-organ donors, were analyzed, and results were compared with literature on kidney-only donors.
Results: Median follow-up of patients without graft failure was 3.4 years. Twenty-four percent of the recipients developed DGF. In univariate analysis, the following factors significantly increased the incidence of DGF: (a) among the donor factors, mean creatinine level >120 micromol/L and prolonged cold ischemia time (CIT); and (b) among the recipient factors, previous transplant(s), no intraoperative use of mannitol, poor quality of reperfusion, absence of intraoperative diuresis, and pretransplant anuria or oliguria. After stepwise logistic regression, donor age, CIT, recipient's number of previous transplants, and intraoperative diuresis proved to be of independent prognostic value for the occurrence of DGF. Overall graft survival was 91%, 87%, and 72% at 3 months, 1 year, and 4 years after transplantation, respectively. In case of DGF, graft survival was approximately 10% lower when compared with cases with immediate graft function (P<0.001). No difference in incidence of DGF was found between grafts of multi-organ donors and kidney-only donors.
Conclusions: DGF results in an approximately 10% higher rate of graft failure. DGF incidence can be reduced by the administration of mannitol during transplantation, which minimizes CIT and optimizes donor management. Grafts from multi-organ donors and kidney-only donors appear to be of equal quality.