Post-Transplantation Early Blood Transfusion and Kidney Allograft Outcomes: A Single-Center Observational Study

Clinical implications of early blood transfusion after kidney transplantation

Pre-transplantation red blood cell transfusion (RBCT) is a well-recognized cause of allosensitization. However, the effects of RBCT after kidney transplantation remain controversial. This study evaluates the impacts of RBCT within the first 30 days post-transplantation (early RBCT) with regard to long-term patient and graft outcomes. We retrospectively analyzed 785 patients who underwent HLA- and ABO-compatible kidney transplantation between 2014 and 2020. Patients were categorized based on whether they received early RBCT. Overall, 18.9% of patients received early RBCT. On multivariable analysis, early RBCT was independently associated with increased risks of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 2.264; 95% CI 1.186-4.324; P = 0.013) and death-censored graft loss (hazard ratio, 1.995; 95% CI 1.045-3.810; P = 0.036). Cumulative incidence of antibody-mediated rejection was significantly higher in the early RBCT group (P = 0.024). In the sensitivity analysis, the early RBCT significantly increased the risk of patient mortality (P = 0.017), death-censored graft loss (P = 0.018) and antibody-mediated rejection (P = 0.05), regardless of the donor profile. Early post-transplantation RBCT was associated with increased risks of all-cause mortality, graft loss, and antibody-mediated rejection, highlighting the need for reconsideration of transfusion practices following kidney transplantation.

Challenges in perioperative blood transfusions in kidney transplantation and the need for Patient Blood Management

BACKGROUND

Anemia is highly prevalent in end-stage chronic kidney disease patients, increasing their risk of receiving blood transfusions during and on the days after a kidney transplant (KTx) surgery. However, there is currently a lack of data that thoroughly describes this phenomenon in this population, the associated risk factors, and how they could benefit from the application of Patient Blood Management (PBM) guidelines.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Observational study. All adult patients who received a KTx between January 1st, 2020, and December 31st, 2021, were included and followed up to six months after transplantation. Those who received a multiorgan transplant, whose data was missing in the electronic health records, and who had primary non-function were excluded. We recorded donor and recipient characteristics, cold ischemia time, preoperative hemoglobin concentration, iron status deficiency biomarkers, incidence of delayed graft function and biopsy-proven graft rejections, and graft function at discharge and 6 months after transplantation.

RESULTS

We found that a high amount (39%) of KTx recipients required at least one blood transfusion during the perioperative period. And that 1) most of these patients had anemia at the time of transplantation (85.4%), 2) iron status upon admission was associated with the transfusion of more blood units (3.9 vs 2.7, p=0.019), 3) surgical reintervention (OR 7.28, 2.35-22.54) and deceased donor donation (OR 1.99, 1.24-3.21) were associated with an increased risk of transfusion, and finally, 4) there was an association between a higher number of blood units transfused and impaired kidney graft function six months after hospital discharge (1.6 vs 1.9, p=0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, PBM guidelines should be applied to patients on the KTx deceased donor waiting list and especially those scheduled to receive a transplant from a living donor. This could potentially increase the utilization efficiency of blood products and avoid transfusion-related severe adverse effects.

Risk factors and current state of therapy for anemia after kidney transplantation

Post-transplant anemia is one of the most common complications in kidney transplant recipients, severely affecting patient prognosis and quality of life, and is an independent predictor of graft kidney loss and patient mortality. However, our clinical understanding and the attention given to post-transplant anemia are currently insufficient. This paper reviews the current status, risk factors, and therapeutic progress in anemia after transplantation in kidney transplant recipients. We recommend that clinical staff pay attention to anemia and its complications in kidney transplant recipients and intervene early for anemia.

Association between blood transfusion after kidney transplantation and risk for the development of de novo HLA donor-specific antibodies and poor clinical outcomes: A single-center retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Blood transfusion after kidney transplantation may increase the risk of sensitization and development of de novo human leukocyte antigen (HLA) donor-specific antibodies (DSAs). This study aimed to evaluate whether blood transfusion during the first year after kidney transplantation influences the development of de novo DSAs and clinical outcomes of kidney transplantation recipients.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included nonsensitized first-time kidney transplantation recipients at Tianjin First Central Hospital from 2010 to 2022. The incidence of de novo DSA development and clinical outcomes between the groups were compared. Luminex single antigen beads were used to monitor DSAs.

RESULTS

Of the 538 non-HLA-sensitized kidney transplantation recipients included in the study, 164 patients who received at least one unit of leukoreduced red blood cell transfusion within the first year (the transfused group), whereas the remaining 374 patients received no blood transfusion (the non-transfused group). Our analysis showed that there was a significant difference in the development of de novo DSAs and de novo anti-class I HLA-Ab between the two groups. Indeed, the transfused recipients had a higher serum creatinine and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at 1-, 6-, and 12-month (all p > 0.05) after transplantation. Futhermore, a higher incidence of CMV infection, antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), hyper acute rejection (HAR), and delayed graft function (DGF) was identified in the transfused group (all p < 0.05). The graft survival was lower in the transfused group compared with patients in the non-transfused group (P = 0.002). Blood transfusion post-transplantation was a risk factor for de novo DSAs development but not an independent predictive factor for AMR and graft loss (odds ratio = 2.064 [1.243-3.429], p = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed that blood transfusion after transplantation is associated with the occurrence of de novo DSAs increasing an immunological risk for poor clinical outcomes for kidney transplantation recipients.

Blood transfusions post kidney transplantation are associated with inferior allograft and patient survival-it is time for rigorous patient blood management

Background

Patient Blood Management (PBM), endorsed by the World Health Organisation is an evidence-based, multi-disciplinary approach to minimise inappropriate blood product transfusions. Kidney transplantation presents a particular challenge to PBM, as comprehensive evidence of the risk of transfusion is lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of post-transplant blood transfusions across multiple centres, to analyse risk factors for transfusion and to compare transplant outcomes by transfusion status.

Methods

This analysis was co-ordinated via the UK Transplant Registry within NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), and was performed across 4 centres. Patients who had received a kidney transplant over a 1-year period, had their transfusion status identified and linked to data held within the national registry.

Results

Of 720 patients, 221(30.7%) were transfused, with 214(29.7%) receiving a red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. The proportion of patients transfused at each centre ranged from 20% to 35%, with a median time to transfusion of 4 (IQR:0-12) days post-transplant. On multivariate analysis, age [OR: 1.02(1.01-1.03), p=0.001], gender [OR: 2.11(1.50-2.98), p<0.0001], ethnicity [OR: 1.28(1.28-2.60), p=0.0008], and dialysis dependence pre-transplant [OR: 1.67(1.08-2.68), p=0.02], were associated with transfusion. A risk-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model showed transfusion was associated with inferior 1-year patient survival [HR 7.94(2.08-30.27), p=0.002] and allograft survival [HR: 3.33(1.65-6.71), p=0.0008], and inferior allograft function.

Conclusion

RBC transfusions are common and are independently associated with inferior transplant outcomes. We urge that further research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind the outcomes, to support the urgent development of transplant-specific anaemia guidelines.

Clinical impact of early post-transplant red cell transfusions in kidney transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction

Red blood cell transfusions (RBCT) represent a potentially modifiable risk factor for HLA sensitisation and adverse outcomes post transplantation. Evidence of the clinical impact of post-transplant RBCT has been infrequently reported. Herein, we performed a systematic review of available literature to assess the prevalence of RBCT post kidney transplant, and the effect of transfusion on transplant outcomes.

Methods

We included studies from 2000 to July 2022, published on Medline, Embase and the Transplant Library.

Results

Ten studies were analysed which included a total of 32,817 kidney transplant recipients, with a median transfusion prevalence of 40% (range 18-64%). There was significant heterogeneity between studies in terms of patient and allograft characteristics, immunological risk, and immunosuppression protocols. Analysis of unadjusted outcomes showed that post-transplant RBCTs are associated with inferior patient survival, allograft loss, rejection and donor specific antibodies. Adjusted outcomes were described where available, and supported the adverse associations seen in the unadjusted models in many studies.

Discussion

This review demonstrates that RBCT post-transplant are common and maybe associated with inferior outcomes, highlighting the urgent need for high quality prospective evidence of the effect of RBCTs on transplant outcomes.

Systematic Review Registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier, CRD42022348763767.

Impact of early blood transfusion after kidney transplantation on the clinical outcomes and allograft survival

INTRODUCTION

Anemia in chronic kidney disease is of great concern regarding blood transfusions and the possibility of allosensitization for future kidney transplants and the occurrence of rejection and allograft loss in the post-transplant period. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of early blood transfusion on the occurrence of rejections, allograft function and survival in the first year after transplantation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This retrospective study was carried out with 445 patients submitted to kidney transplant allocated to two groups. The first group received early blood transfusions after transplant (n = 125, 28.09%), and the second group did not receive blood transfusions (n = 320, 71.91%). The patient outcomes were evaluated during a 1-year follow-up.

RESULTS

14 patients given blood transfusion (11.2%) lost their allograft in the first year in comparison with 8 (2.5%) without transfusion (p < 0.001). There were 9 deaths in each group, which corresponded to 7.2% of the patients who received blood transfusions and 2.81% of those who did not (p < 0.035). Patient hospitalization lasted 15 days in transfusion group and 8.5 days in non-transfusion group (p < 0.001). Creatinine levels were higher in the patients who received blood transfusion than in those without transfusion in the first and third months after transplantation (p = 0.012 and 0.038, respectively). During the first year, the patients who received blood products experienced more antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) (13.60%) than patients who did not (4.38%) (p < 0.001). Those who received blood transfusions also developed de novo DSA in higher proportion than those without transfusion against both class I and class II HLA (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

This study showed that blood transfusions in the first month after transplantation had a negative impact on kidney function, graft survival, and contributed to the development of de novo DSA, an increased risk of ABMR and infections.

Effect of blood transfusion post kidney transplantation on de novo human leukocytes antigen donor-specific antibody development and clinical outcomes in kidney transplant recipients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The relationship between blood transfusion following kidney transplantation (KT) and the development of de novo donor-specific antibodies (dnDSA) is controversial. This was investigated by conducting a meta-analysis of studies on patients who underwent KT with or without blood transfusion, and by evaluating the effect of post-KT blood transfusion on clinical outcomes of kidney transplant recipients. Relevant studies in the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were identified from inception to July 1, 2022. Two reviewers independently extracted data from the selected articles and estimated study quality. A fixed effects or random effects model was used to pool data according to the heterogeneity among studies. Data included in the meta-analysis were derived from 11 studies with a total of 19,543 patients including 6191 with and 13,352 without blood transfusion post-KT. We assessed the pooled associations between blood transfusion and occurrence of dnDSA and clinical outcomes of transplant recipients. Blood transfusion was strongly correlated with the development of dnDSA (relative risk [RR] = 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17-1.67; P < 0.05). Patients with blood transfusion had a higher risk of developing anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I dnDSA than non-transfused patients (RR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.14-2.69; P < 0.05) as well as significantly higher rates of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) (RR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.21-2.35; P < 0.05) and graft loss (RR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.30-2.35; P < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the development of anti-HLA antibodies, anti-HLA class II dnDSA, and anti-HLA class I and II dnDSA; delayed graft function; T cell-mediated rejection; acute rejection; borderline rejection; or patient death. Our results suggest that blood transfusion was associated with dnDSA development in KT recipients. The findings of this systematic review also suggest that post-KT blood transfusion recipients have a higher risk of AMR, and graft loss compared with non-transfused patients. Evidence from this meta-analysis indicates that the use of blood transfusion post-KT is associated with a significantly higher risk of immunological sensitization. More and higher quality results from large randomized controlled trials are still needed to inform clinical practice.