Rehospitalization after kidney transplantation during the first year: length, causes and relationship with long-term patient and graft survival.

INTRODUCTION

There is a wide interest in epidemiologic studies assessing different causes of post-kidney transplantation rehospitalization. However, there is a paucity of knowledge on the long-term survival and graft function of rehospitalized kidney transplant recipients during the first year. Knowledge of posttransplant rehospitalization causes may help guide the preventive program at the first year. In our study, we assess causes for hospitalization and investigate the long-term patient and graft survival after non-fatal rehospitalization in kidney recipients during the first year.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively studied the medical histories of 419 kidney transplant recipients whose operations were performed between 1986 and 2009 at Charles Nicolle Hospital, in Tunis, Tunisia. Among these patients, a total of 296 posttransplant rehospitalizations of kidney transplant recipients during the first year occurring in 191 (45.5%) patients were assessed. Clinical characteristics of the patients, including gender, age, reason for kidney failure, weight, height, blood group, length of pretransplant dialysis, immunosuppressive regimen, postoperative complications, the length of hospital stay, transplantation-admission interval, causes of rehospitalizations, graft loss, and mortality rate were reviewed. For donors, these demographics included age, gender, blood group, type of donor (deceased or living), and relationship to the recipient. Because rehospitalizations are possible for more than one cause, the sum of frequencies of rehospitalization causes is more than 100%.

RESULTS

There was 1 rehospitalization in 121 patients, 2 rehospitalizations in 47 patients, 3 rehospitalizations in 15 patients, 4 rehospitalizations in 5 patients, 5 rehospitalizations in 2 patients and 6 rehospitalizations in 1 patient. Rehospitalization was more frequent for diabetic patients without significant association. The causes of rehospitalization were infection in 221 cases (55.5%), renal dysfunction in 106 cases (26%), cardiovascular event in 10 cases (2.4%), and diabetic ketoacidosis in 11 cases (2.7%). The length of hospital stay was 22.5 ± 29.6 days, 20.15 ± 22.16 days, 25 ± 30 days and 23.4 ± 27.5 days, respectively, in the first, second, third, and fifth rehospitalizations. Median hospital stay for all rehospitalizations was between 14 and 16 days. The risk factors of rehospitalization were: use of mycophenolate mofetile (P = .0072), use of cyclosporine (P = .0073), and cytomegalovirus infection (P < .001). There was no significant correlation between rehospitalization and either lost of graft and death.

CONCLUSIONS

During the first year after kidney transplantation, rehospitalization was especially required because of infections and renal dysfunction. The risk factors of rehospitalization were cadaveric graft, use of mycophenolate mofetil, use of cyclosporine, and cytomegalovirus infection. To prevent and minimize rehospitalizations during the first year, a specific preventive program based on infection prevention and graft function monitoring should be established.