title: Prediction of cardiovascular events after renal transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a marker of arterial stiffness and predicts cardiovascular events in the nontransplantation population. Cardiovascular events (CVE) are the leading cause of death and one of the leading causes of graft failure in renal transplant recipients. The present prospective study investigates whether there is a correlation between PWV and CVE in renal transplant recipients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study assessing the incidence of a composite cardiovascular endpoint within ≥ 3 years after pulse wave analysis was performed in 64 stable renal transplant recipients. Measurement of PWV, augmentation index (AI75), and aortic systolic pressure was conducted using the SphygmoCor (AtCor) device. The composite endpoint of the study was the incidence of either death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or admission for symptomatic intermittent claudication or decompensated congestive heart failure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifteen patients (23%) reached the composite endpoint during a follow-up of 4.4 years. Binary logistic regression using PWV, AI75, central aortic systolic pressure, peripheral systolic pressure, and pulse pressure as covariates revealed that PWV was significantly associated with cardiovascular events (10.1 ± 3.6 m/s in subjects reaching the endpoint vs 8.5 ± 1.5 m/s in subjects not reaching the endpoint; P = .048).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased arterial stiffness as assessed by PWV predicts CVE in renal transplant recipients and may be regarded as a footprint of accelerated arteriosclerosis for those patients.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Marien Hospital Herne, Ruhr-University Bochum, Medizinische Klinik I, Herne, Germany; Charité - Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Nephrology, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: felix.seibert@marienhospital-herne.de.
authors.forename: F S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Seibert
authors.affiliation: Charité - Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Nephrology, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Behrendt
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Marien Hospital Herne, Ruhr-University Bochum, Medizinische Klinik I, Herne, Germany; Charité - Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Nephrology, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pagonas
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Marien Hospital Herne, Ruhr-University Bochum, Medizinische Klinik I, Herne, Germany; Charité - Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Nephrology, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Charité - Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Nephrology, Berlin, Germany; Augusta-Kranken-Anstalt, Department of Nephrology, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kiziler
authors.affiliation: Charité - Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Nephrology, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zidek
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Marien Hospital Herne, Ruhr-University Bochum, Medizinische Klinik I, Herne, Germany; Charité - Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Nephrology, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Westhoff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002423:Cause of Death / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000601:surgery*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D059289:Vascular Stiffness