title: Urgency Priority in Kidney Transplantation: Experience in Turkey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Turkey, according to the directions of National Organ and Tissue Transplant Coordination System, a system has been established since 2008 of urgency priority for kidney transplantation in cases with imminent lack of access for either hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. In this study, we compared patient and graft outcomes between patients on the national waiting list having urgency priority for kidney transplantation (UKT) and those having the other kidney from the same deceased donor (control group).
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined retrospective data of patients, who underwent transplantation under urgency priority allocation in Turkey from 2010 to 2014 and compared that group with other patients receiving kidney transplants from the same deceased donors (control group). Then we compared these patients for early and long-term patient and graft outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-seven patients had UKT, and 40 patients received transplants from the same deceased donors. Mean follow-up of patients after transplantation was 18 ± 12 months. Eight patients with UKT and 4 patients in the control group lost their grafts. At follow-up, 7 patients died in the UKT group, and 4 patients died in the control group. Patient survival in the UKT group was 90% at 1 year and 83% at 2 years, and in the control group was 93% at 1 year and 84% at 2 years (P = .384). Graft survival was 87% at 1 year and 81% at 2 years in UKT, and 91% at both 1 and 2 years in the control group (P = .260).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although patients with UKT showed lower graft and patient survivals than the control group, the difference was statistically nonsignificant. UKT can be an obligatory treatment model for patients with lack of vascular or peritoneal access for dialysis.
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: zeynepkendi@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Z K
authors.initials: ZK
authors.lastname: Celebi
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akturk
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erdogmus
authors.affiliation: Department of Organ Transplantation, General Directorate of Health Services, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kemaloglu
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, Ege University School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toz
authors.affiliation: Organ Transplantation and General Surgery Department, Memorial Atasehir Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: K Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Polat
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Keven
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006085:Graft Survival; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014421:Turkey; D014850:Waiting Lists