title: A comprehensive risk quantification score for deceased donor kidneys: the kidney donor risk index.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We propose a continuous kidney donor risk index (KDRI) for deceased donor kidneys, combining donor and transplant variables to quantify graft failure risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  By using national data from 1995 to 2005, we analyzed 69,440 first-time, kidney-only, deceased donor adult transplants. Cox regression was used to model the risk of death or graft loss, based on donor and transplant factors, adjusting for recipient factors. The proposed KDRI includes 14 donor and transplant factors, each found to be independently associated with graft failure or death: donor age, race, history of hypertension, history of diabetes, serum creatinine, cerebrovascular cause of death, height, weight, donation after cardiac death, hepatitis C virus status, human leukocyte antigen-B and DR mismatch, cold ischemia time, and double or en bloc transplant. The KDRI reflects the rate of graft failure relative to that of a healthy 40-year-old donor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Transplants of kidneys in the highest KDRI quintile (>1.45) had an adjusted 5-year graft survival of 63%, compared with 82% and 79% in the two lowest KDRI quintiles (<0.79 and 0.79-<0.96, respectively). There is a considerable overlap in the KDRI distribution by expanded and nonexpanded criteria donor classification.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The graded impact of KDRI on graft outcome makes it a useful decision-making tool at the time of the deceased donor kidney offer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Michigan HealthSystem, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0725, USA. spandu@med.umich.edu
authors.forename: Panduranga S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Douglas E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Schaubel
authors.forename: Mary K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Guidinger
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Andreoni
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Wolfe
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Merion
authors.forename: Friedrich K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Port
authors.forename: Randall S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Sung
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002102:Cadaver; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D006085:Graft Survival; D049669:History, 16th Century; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014019:Tissue Donors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003404:Creatinine