Long-term survival of simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation: influence of early posttransplantation complications

Abstract

Background: Complications that develop in the early posttransplantation period after simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT) can contribute to poor long-term survival of grafts and patients.

Patients and methods: We studied 86 SPKTs that were performed between 2000 and 2010 in our hospital, analyzing all complications in the early posttransplantation period and their impact on long-term survival in patients and grafts.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 38.77 ± 7.13 years (79.1% male). Of the 86 SPKT patients, 22.1% were on peritoneal dialysis (PD) before transplantation, 68.6% were on hemodialysis (HD), and 9.3% had not received any substitutive renal therapy. The immunosuppressive regimens consisted of induction with basiliximab followed by tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and steroid therapy. More than 75% of patients experienced an infection in the early posttransplantation period: bacteremia (37.2%), central catheter infection (7%), wound infection (4.7%), urinary tract (14%) and positive abdominal drain culture (45.3%). Approximately one third (31.4%) of patients underwent a reoperation, primarily due to bleeding (21.95%) or infection (19.51%). One fifth of patients (19.8%) experienced an acute rejection episode. The 3-year survival of the pancreas was lower among PD patients (82%) compared with patients who did not undergo dialysis before SPKT (100%). The 5-year survival rate of both grafts was lower among patients who underwent a reoperation than those who did not: pancreas survival rates, were 70% versus 93%, respectively (P = .015) and kidney graft survival rates were 75% versus 96%, respectively (P = .0017). Five-year patient survival rates were also lower among reoperated patients than those who were not (85% vs 97%, respectively), although the difference was not significant (P = .27).

Conclusions: Complications in the early posttransplantation period after SPKT were frequent, increasing morbidity and inpatient stay. One third of our patients underwent a reoperation, which had a negative impact on graft survival.