Cold ischaemia time added to kidneys can be minimized by completing the final cross-match before organs are taken from the operating room.
Minimizing the amount of cold ischaemia time (CIT) added to cadaveric kidneys before their transplantation is an important goal since longer CIT is associated with worse long-term graft outcome. Our organ procurement organization (OPO) and HLA laboratories have taken the approach of performing the histocompatibility testing, including the final cross-match, as early in the donor process as possible.


METHODS
The data in this study were collected from all consecutive final cross-matches done for cadaveric kidney (n = 113) and simultaneous pancreas + kidney (SPK) (n = 25) transplants done with organs recovered from donors in the Midwest Transplant Network OPO from 1 January 2001 to 9 May 2002. We evaluated the time the final cross-match was completed from when the kidneys from that donor were taken from the operating room (OR) and compared that time with CIT.


RESULTS
For kidney transplants, 72% of the final cross-matches were complete before the kidneys were taken from the OR. The CIT of that group (10.4 +/- 3.8 h) was significantly lower than that of the group of kidney transplant patients whose final cross-match was done after the kidneys were taken from the OR (15.5 +/- 5.8 h) (P < 0.001). Similarly, for SPK transplants, 88% of the final cross-matches were completed before the organs left the OR and the CIT of that group (10.2 +/- 3.4 h) was less than in the group whose final cross-match was done after the organs left the OR (14.3 +/- 4.8 h) (P > 0.1).


CONCLUSIONS
These data show that the practice of completing the final cross-match as early in the donor process as possible helps to minimize the amount of cold ischaemia time added to the kidneys and pancreata before transplantation. That should reduce the detrimental influence that longer CIT has on short- and long-term function in kidney as well as SPK transplantation.
Bryan
Christopher F
CF
Midwest Transplant Network, Westwood, KS 66205, USA. cbryan@mwob.org
D003080:Cold Temperature; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000502:physiology; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods*; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016896:Treatment Outcome