Surgical complications in pediatric kidney transplantation-Incidence, risk factors, and effects on graft survival: A retrospective single-center study

Pediatric renal transplantation: a single center experience

INTRODUCTION

The rising prevalence of global end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a significant health concern, especially among children. Although renal replacement therapy is available, children with ESRD are at an increased risk of mortality. Kidney transplantation is the preferred modality of treatment and surpasses renal replacement therapy in terms of survival. However, pediatric renal transplantation could prove difficult due to factors like smaller recipients and donor-recipient mismatches leading to higher complications.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective single-group case series study was conducted on children with ESRD who were planned to undergo kidney transplantation from living donors between 2015 and 2021. The data was collected from two centers in the city of Sulaymaniyah.

RESULTS

The study comprised a predominantly male patient population, with a total of 39 individuals (n = 39) and 13 female patients. The donors were mostly males between 25-40 years old. The majority of participants were 15-18 years old. In majority of the patients Thymoglobulin was the immunosuppressive agent used in induction. The most common etiology for renal failure was reflux nephropathy and artery anastomosis was performed to the external iliac artery in the majority of patients. Only 9 patients had complications following the transplantation and 3 patients had an episode of acute rejection.

CONCLUSIONS

Renal transplantation is the preferred treatment of renal failure in pediatric patients in the city of Sulaymaniyah. The most common etiology for pediatric renal failure was reflux nephropathy which was different from the findings of North American Pediatric Renal Trials and Collaborative Studies.

Time-Varying Determinants of Graft Failure in Pediatric Kidney Transplantation in Europe

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the time-varying determinants of kidney graft failure in children.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective study of primary pediatric kidney transplant recipients (younger than 18 years) from the Eurotransplant registry (1990-2020). Piece-wise exponential additive mixed models were applied to analyze time-varying recipient, donor, and transplant risk factors. Primary outcome was death-censored graft failure.

RESULTS

We report on 4528 kidney transplantations, of which 68% with deceased and 32% with living donor. One thousand six hundred and thirty-eight recipients experienced graft failure, and 168 died with a functioning graft. Between 2011 and 2020, the 5-year graft failure risk was 10% for deceased donor and 4% for living donor kidney transplant recipients. Risk of graft failure decreased five-fold from 1990 to 2020. The association between living donor transplantation and the lower risk of graft failure was strongest in the first month post-transplant (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.46 to 0.73) and remained statistically significant until 12 years post-transplant. Risk factors for graft failure in the first 2 years were deceased donor younger than 12 years or older than 46 years, potentially recurrent kidney disease, and panel-reactive antibody >0%. Other determinants of graft failure included dialysis before transplantation (until 5 years post-transplant), human leukocyte antigen mismatch 2-4 (0-15 years post-transplant), human leukocyte antigen mismatch 5-6 (2-12 years post-transplant), and hemodialysis (8-14 years post-transplant). Recipients older than 11 years at transplantation had a higher risk of graft failure 1-8 years post-transplant compared with other age groups, whereas young recipients had a lower risk throughout follow-up. Analysis of the combined effect of post-transplant time and recipient age showed a higher rate of graft failure during the first 5 years post-transplant in adolescents compared with young transplant recipients. In contrast to deceased donor younger than 12 years, deceased donor older than 46 years was consistently associated with a higher graft failure risk.

CONCLUSIONS

We report a long-term inverse association between living donor kidney transplantation and the risk of graft failure. The determinants of graft failure varied with time. There was a significant cumulative effect of adolescence and time post-transplant. The ideal donor age window was dependent on time post-transplant.

Pearls and Pitfalls in Pediatric Kidney Transplantation After 5 Decades

Worldwide, over 1,300 pediatric kidney transplantations are performed every year. Since the first transplantation in 1959, healthcare has evolved dramatically. Pre-emptive transplantations with grafts from living donors have become more common. Despite a subsequent improvement in graft survival, there are still challenges to face. This study attempts to summarize how our understanding of pediatric kidney transplantation has developed and improved since its beginnings, whilst also highlighting those areas where future research should concentrate in order to help resolve as yet unanswered questions. Existing literature was compared to our own data of 411 single-center pediatric kidney transplantations between 1968 and 2020, in order to find discrepancies and allow identification of future challenges. Important issues for future care are innovations in immunosuppressive medication, improving medication adherence, careful donor selection with regard to characteristics of both donor and recipient, improvement of surgical techniques and increased attention for lower urinary tract dysfunction and voiding behavior in all patients.

Outcomes of small pediatric donor kidney transplants according to donor weight

A small pediatric deceased donor (SPD) weight cutoff whether to transplant as en bloc (EB) or single pediatric (SP) kidney is uncertain. Using UNOS/OPTN data (2000-2019), 27 875 SPDs were divided by (i) EB (11.4%) or SP (88.6%) and (ii) donor weight [≤10 (5.4%), >10-15 (8.3%), >15-18 (3.7%), >18-20 (2.9%), and >20 kg (79.7%)]. SP >20 kg and adult deceased donors (grouped by Kidney Donor Profile Index, KDPI, <30, 30-85, and >85) were used as references. The primary outcome was 10-year graft failure. In SP <10 kg, the hazard ratio (HR) for overall graft failure was 1.64 (1.38-2.20) compared with EB <10 kg, and 1.45 (1.18-1.80) compared with SP >20 kg. In SP >10-15 kg, HR was 1.31 (1.12-1.54) compared with EB >10-15 kg, and 1.04 (0.91-1.18) compared with SP >20 kg. In SP >15 kg, the risk was the same as SP >20 kg. Ten-year overall graft survival of SP 12 kg was comparable to SP >20 kg (62% vs. 57%). Ten-year death censored graft failure of SP >10-15 kg (70%) and SP >15-18 kg (70%) was like the adult donors with KDPI 30-85 (67%). In conclusion, we recommend single kidney transplants from SPDs with weight >12 kg to adult recipients in centers with experience in SPD transplants to optimize organ utilization.

Pediatric kidney transplantation, a technical update

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Pediatric kidney transplantation is the definitive therapy for infants and children suffering from renal failure. It is a distinct endeavor demanding specialized care for optimal results. This includes a dedicated preoperative workup accounting for unique predisposing urologic conditions, specialized surgical techniques, and careful hemodynamic monitoring and maintenance.

RECENT FINDINGS

Historically, size-matched renal allografts from pediatric donors to pediatric recipients suffered from poor outcomes. Advances in surgical technique performed at high volume centers have shown that these operations can be performed safely, helping expand the donor pool for these patients. Concurrently, transplantation of increasingly small for size infants with complex medical and surgical backgrounds has become a reality.

SUMMARY

On a policy front, efforts to expand access to size-matched organs, combined with advances in medical management and immunosuppression have seen pediatric renal transplantation reach new heights. Now, these breakthroughs are heightened by the ability to transplant such organs into the smallest infants. The net result will be diminished transplant waiting times and, accordingly, improved quality of life and longevity for children suffering from renal failure.