Complications after Kidney Transplantation: A Profile of 103 Patients from a Tertiary Care Center

Dr Sankelp Joshi; Dr Omar Salim Akhtar; Dr Shailesh Raina

Volume : VIII, Issue : VIII, August - 2019

Complications after Kidney Transplantation: A Profile of 103 Patients from a Tertiary Care Center

Dr Sankelp Joshi, Dr Omar Salim Akhtar, Dr Shailesh Raina

Abstract :

Background: End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) requires renal replacement therapy (RRT) such as Haemodialysis (HD) or Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) or Kidney Transplantation (KT). The purpose of RRT is to prolong life and maintain quality of life. The history of renal transplantation illustrates the successful integration of the fields of surgery, medicine and immunology, reflecting the development of healthcare in modern era which has improved the quality of life of the transplant patients. Low survival rates and a relatively poor quality of life on HD make KT an attractive treatment alternative with good clinical results even in elderly patients with comorbidities. Objectives: This was an observational study conducted in an established kidney transplant unit at a single tertiary care center in India. The objectives of our study were to analyse surgical complications in renal transplant recipients following deceased donor and live donor (ABO compatible or incompatible) kidney transplants and compare it with contemporary literature and to identify possible risk factors related to KT recipient characteristics associated with surgical complications. Methods: We studied the case records of patients who underwent KT at our center from January 2015 – December 2015. Results: The total number of surgical complications observed was 44 out of 103 KT surgeries in 35 patients (33.9%). Nine (8.7%) patients had multiple complications while 26 (25.2%) patients developed a single surgical complication. Urological complications were seen in 25 (24.3%) patients and they constituted 59% of all surgical complications. Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) was seen in 24 patients (23.3%). No patient developed a ureteric leak. Diabetes was found to be more common amongst patients with UTI and wound infections. Conclusion: The complication rates observed at our center were in line with expected rates based on available literature. KT remains a complex procedure, which should be performed at centers with high–volume experience. We hope that this study adds to the body of literature on the subject of KT.