Impact of Left Ventricular Dysfunction on Renal Transplant Survival: Study of Paired Kidneys From the Same Donor

Recent Developments in the Evaluation and Management of Cardiorenal Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review

Cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) is an increasingly recognized diagnostic entity associated with high morbidity and mortality among acutely ill heart failure (HF) patients with acute and/ or chronic kidney diseases (CKD). While traditionally viewed as a state of decline in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) due to decreased renal perfusion, mainly due to therapeutic interventions to relieve congestive in HF, recent insights into the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms of CRS led to a broader definition and further classification of CRS into 5 distinct types. In this comprehensive review, we discuss the classification of CRS, highlighting the underlying common pathogenetic pathways of heart failure and kidney injury, including increased congestion, neurohormonal dysregulation, oxidative stress as well as inflammation, and cytokine storm that are particularly evident in COVID-19 patients with multiorgan failure and also in those with other disorders including sepsis, systemic lupus erythematosus and amyloidosis. In this review we also present the recent advances in the diagnostic strategies of CRS including cardiac and renal biomarkers as well as advanced cardiac and renal imaging techniques that are available to aid in the diagnosis as well as in the prognostication of this disorder. Finally, we discuss the various therapeutic options available to-date, including fluid optimization, hemofiltration, renal replacement therapy as well as the role of SGLT2 inhibitors in light of recent data from RCTs. It is important to note that, CRS population are either excluded or underrepresented, at best, in major RCTs and therefore, therapeutic recommendations are largely extrapolated from HF and CKD clinical trials.

A Single-Center Experience With Kidney Transplantation in Patients Who Had Low Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction

OBJECTIVES

Left ventricular hypertrophy is one of the most typical cardiac abnormalities detected in patients with end-stage renal disease. In patients with congestive heart failure, the most crucial factor determining patient survival is left ventricular ejection fraction. Herein, we present our experience with living donor kidney transplant recipients with a left ventricular ejection fraction of <50%.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients who underwent living donor kidney transplant in our center between November 2008 and November 2021 and had pretransplant left ventricular ejection fraction <50% were included. All patients had dialysis the day before surgery. All patients underwent 2-dimensional echocardiograms after dialysis and were categorized according to New York Heart Association classification, pretransplant and on posttransplant day 5. Demographic parameters and additional data, including pretransplant and posttransplant day 5 New York Heart Association classification, left ventricular ejection fraction at 6 months, and graft survival at 6 months, as well as patient survival data, were analyzed.

RESULTS

Our study included 31 patients (mean age of 46.6 ± 18.3; range, 11-77 years). We found significant differences in New York Heart Association classifications before and after transplant, indicating that kidney transplant had a positive effect on pretransplant congestive heart failure in patients with low left ventricular ejection fraction (P = .001). The mean pretransplant left ventricular ejection fraction was 32 ± 9.9% (range, 1%-45%), whereas the mean 6-month posttransplant left ventricular ejection fraction was 52 ± 8.7% (range, 28%-63%) (P < .001). Both graft loss and all-cause mortality rates were 12.9%.

CONCLUSIONS

Low left ventricular ejection fraction is not a contraindication for kidney transplant. We suggest that myocardial scintigraphy should be performed in patients with end-stage renal disease and low left ventricular ejection fraction, and kidney transplant should be considered in those without ischemic findings.

The Association of Pretransplant Pulmonary Hypertension With Patient and Graft Survival After Kidney Transplantation: A Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) has been well characterized in end-stage kidney disease and carries a grave prognosis. Its relationship to kidney transplantation outcomes is uncertain. The purpose of the present study was to characterize PH in kidney transplant candidates and to evaluate the relationship of PH to post-transplantation outcomes.

METHODS

A retrospective review of medical records and echocardiographic findings in all patients listed and transplanted at a large urban academic medical center from 2010 to 2015 was undertaken. PH (defined as echocardiographic evidence of pulmonary artery systolic pressure ≥ 35 mm Hg) was assessed along with demographics, and comorbidities for its relationship to patient, and graft survival by univariable and multivariable analysis.

RESULTS

Of 733 patients, 15.6% (115) had PH. PH in this population was primarily due to left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction. Patient survival (78.3% vs 89.6%, P = .02) and the composite of patient and graft survival (70.7% vs 85.0%, P = .04) was reduced at 5 years in patients with PH as compared to patients with No PH, respectively. However, multivariable analysis suggested that age at presentation, race, and left ventricular systolic function but not PH were significantly associated with patient mortality or graft loss.

CONCLUSION

Reduced patient and graft survival seen in patients with pulmonary hypertension appears to be related to risk factors other than the pulmonary hypertension itself; therefore, pretransplant PH should not be considered as a barrier to kidney transplantation.

Kidney transplantation and cardiomyopathy: Concepts and controversies in clinical decision-making

Increasing comorbidities and an aging population have led to a tremendous increase in the burden of both kidney and cardiac dysfunction. Concomitant cardiomyopathy exposes the patients with kidney disease to further physiological, hemodynamic, and pathologic alterations. Kidney transplantation imposes lesser anesthetic and surgical complexities compared to another solid organ transplant. The surgical decision-making remains an unsettled issue in these conditions. The surgical choices, techniques, and sequences in kidney transplant and cardiac surgery depend on the pathophysiological perturbations and perioperative outcomes. The absence of randomized controlled trials eludes us from suggesting definite management protocol in patients with end-stage kidney disease with cardiomyopathy. Nevertheless, in this review, we extracted data from published literature to understand the pathophysiologic interactions between end-stage renal diseases with cardiomyopathy and also proposed the management algorithm in this challenging scenario. The proposed management algorithm would ensure consensus across all stakeholders involved in decision-making. Our simplistic evidence-based approach would augur future randomized trials and would further ensure refinement in our management approach after the emergence of more definitive evidence.

Cardiorenal Syndrome: Classification, Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment Strategies: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Cardiorenal syndrome encompasses a spectrum of disorders involving both the heart and kidneys in which acute or chronic dysfunction in 1 organ may induce acute or chronic dysfunction in the other organ. It represents the confluence of heart-kidney interactions across several interfaces. These include the hemodynamic cross-talk between the failing heart and the response of the kidneys and vice versa, as well as alterations in neurohormonal markers and inflammatory molecular signatures characteristic of its clinical phenotypes. The mission of this scientific statement is to describe the epidemiology and pathogenesis of cardiorenal syndrome in the context of the continuously evolving nature of its clinicopathological description over the past decade. It also describes diagnostic and therapeutic strategies applicable to cardiorenal syndrome, summarizes cardiac-kidney interactions in special populations such as patients with diabetes mellitus and kidney transplant recipients, and emphasizes the role of palliative care in patients with cardiorenal syndrome. Finally, it outlines the need for a cardiorenal education track that will guide future cardiorenal trials and integrate the clinical and research needs of this important field in the future.