LAUSR

Delayed graft function (DGF), defined as the need for dialysis within one week post-transplantation, is associated with poorer kidney graft survival. We aimed to identify risk factors for DGF throughout 3 decades and evaluate their effect on graft survival. Retrospective study including 3081 kidney transplants performed at our transplantation unit between January 1st, 1989 and December 31st, 2018, split in 3 decades (1: 1989-1998; 2: 1999-2008; 3: 2009-2018). Data regarding donor and recipient demographics, time on dialysis, immunization, cold ischemia time, hemodynamic parameters and immunosuppression were collected from our prospectively maintained data base. Main donor, recipient and perioperative characteristics are summarized in table 1. There were clear differences in these characteristics between the decades, standing out more adverse features from both recipients and donors. Overall incidence rate of DGF was 16% (n=493): 14% in decade 1; 19.3% in decade 2 and 15% in decade 3. On univariate analysis, most studied variables included in table 1 were statistically significant as predictors of DGF. However, on multivariate analysis, we found that in the first decade the predominant risk factors for DGF were pre-transplant dialysis time and cold-ischemia time, whilst in the following decades donor characteristics, as well as recipient’s weight became more relevant (table 2). The observed shift from donor-unrelated variables in the first decade into donor-related variables in the second and third decades as the main determinants of DGF highlights the impact of expanding donor’s acceptance criteria. Nevertheless, the increase in expanded criteria donors did not translate into poorer overall results, probable contributors being shorter cold-ischemia times and stronger immunosuppression.