We retrospectively studied clinical data of 46 DCD kidneys from 31 donors from February 2007 to August 2011. Recipients were followed for patient and graft survival.
We discarded the organs from 3 of 29 (10.3%) DCD donors and 7 of 42 (16.7%) kidneys that displayed renal thrombosis. Of the 39 recipients engrafted with DCD kidneys successfully, the mean follow-up was 16 months, (range = 50 days to 43 months). Delayed graft function (DGF) occurred in 15 (38.5%) recipients, who except one recovered within 3 months. Three biopsy-proven acute rejection episodes were observed in two recipients (5.1%). All patients survived through the follow-up. The graft survival rate was 97.4%at 12 months and 94.9%at 24 months. A 45-year-old male recipient who received a pair of grafts from a 6-year-old child survived with good renal function.
Although kidney transplantations from DCD donors showed a higher rate of DGF with a longer duration of graft recovery, we achieved favorable short-term clinical outcome in terms of graft survival and function. Donation after cardiac death can expand the organ donor pool in China.