Graft Function and Intermediate-Term Outcomes of Kidney Transplants Improved in the Last Decade: Analysis of the United States Kidney Transplant Database.

BACKGROUND

Previous analyses of the United States transplant database regarding long-term outcomes in kidney transplantation have shown minimal improvement in the rate of long-term graft loss. This study sought to analyze intermediate-term outcomes and graft function at 6 months in kidney transplantation in adult living and deceased donor recipients in the last decade.

METHODS

Survival analysis was performed based on the year of transplant between 6 months and 3 years' posttransplant. The Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was determined at 6 months.

RESULTS

The unadjusted graft survival between 6 months and 3 years improved significantly in the latter half of the decade in both deceased and living donor kidney recipients. Cox analysis showed a 33% reduction in the rate of graft loss and that the improvement in graft survival was due to similar improvements in both death-censored graft and death with graft function survival. A 10% improvement in median eGFR occurred despite worsening donor demographics over time in both donor types. This improvement in eGFR and graft survival occurred in association with a consolidation of chronic discharge immunosuppression from a variety of combinations to over 85% of recipients receiving tacrolimus and mycophenolate derivative immunosuppression.

CONCLUSIONS

In the latter half of last decade graft survival improved in adult kidney transplant recipients. The improvement in graft survival occurred in temporal association with an improvement in median eGFR at 6 months and consolidation of discharge immunosuppression in most patients to tacrolimus and mycophenolate derivatives.