Outcome of machine-perfused non-heart-beating donor kidneys, not allocated within the Eurotransplant area.
Eleven non-heart-beating (NHB) donor kidneys considered vital during machine perfusion (MP), could not be allocated inside Eurotransplant (ET). With the help of ET, five kidneys were transplanted in Karachi and six in Basel. Our goal was to prove that NHB kidneys successfully passing MP viability tests can be transplanted safely.


METHODS
Donor age, serum creatinine (some post-mortem) and warm ischaemic time were, respectively, (mean and range): 44 (14-70) years, 137 mumol/l, and 44 (9-80) min. Reasons for refusal were: bold ureter (one), suboptimal flush (one), relatively long hypotensive phase (seven), and donor age of 70 years (two). After 8 h of MP, mean lactate dehydrogenase, intrarenal resistance and alpha glutathione S-transferase were (including range): 556 U/l (range 366-819 U/l), 0.86 mmHg/ml per min (0.41-1.15 mmHg/ml per min) and 1188 micrograms/l (575-2677 micrograms/l), respectively. Mean cold ischaemic time was 45 (range 28-72) h.


RESULTS
Two kidneys showed immediate function, and nine showed delayed function. Mean creatinine levels after 1, 3 and 6 months were 295, 200 and 206 mumol/l, respectively. Four patients died for reasons not related to their kidney transplantation.


CONCLUSIONS
We claim that MP can successfully assess viability of NHB donor kidneys. The reluctance to accept MP, and judged vital, NHB donor kidneys is not longer justified.
Department of Surgery, University Hospital Maastricht, The Netherlands.
J K
JK
Kievit
A P
AP
Nederstigt
A P
AP
Oomen
S A
SA
Rizvi
A
A
Naqvi
G
G
Thiel
J
J
De Meester
G
G
Kootstra
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003643:Death; D005060:Europe; D006321:Heart; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008875:Middle Aged; D010477:Perfusion / Q000295:instrumentation*