title: Shorter waitlist times and improved graft survivals are observed in patients who accept hepatitis C virus+ renal allografts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a paucity of data regarding long-term renal graft survival in hepatitis C virus positive (HCV+) patients. We analyzed our institution's experience with HCV+ renal transplantation and factors contributing to subsequent renal graft failure.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed 1,679 adult, deceased donor, single-organ renal transplants occurring between 2000 and 2012. Recipient and donor demographics, HCV serostatus, and graft outcome and function were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 1,679 patients, 195 HCV+ recipients (R+) received renal transplants from HCV+ donors (D+), in contrast to 1,418 HCV negative (HCV-) recipients (R-) who received grafts from HCV- donors (D-), and 66 R+ patients who received D- kidneys. Death-censored graft survival in the R+/D+ population was better than graft survival for R+/D- patients, despite R+/D+ patients having higher rates of hypertension and African Americans. Waitlist times for patients accepting HCV+ grafts was 318 days (for R+/D+ patients) versus 613 days (R-/D-) or 570 days (R+/D-). On multivariate analysis, waitlist times were independently predictive of graft failure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  R+/D+ patients spent less time on the transplant waitlist, which contributed to improved death censored graft survival when compared with R+/D- patients.
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD. 2 School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Scalea
authors.forename: Rolf N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Barth
authors.forename: Raghava
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Munivenkatappa
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Philosophe
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Whitlow
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: LaMattina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D046148:Donor Selection; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014019:Tissue Donors; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000379:methods*; D014850:Waiting Lists