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Increasing Referral for Renal Transplant Evaluation in Recipients of Nonrenal Solid-Organ Transplants: A Single-Center Experience

Arun Chandrakantan^*,, Angelo M. de Mattos^*,, David Naftel, Apryl Crosswy, James Kirklin, and John J. Curtis^*,

^* Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, and Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama

Address correspondence to: Dr. Arun Chandrakantan, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, THT 638B, 1530 Third Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294-0006. Phone: 205-934-1801; Fax: 205-934-7742; E-mail: arunc{at}uab.edu

The use of cyclosporine and tacrolimus therapy in nonrenal (heart, heart/lung, lung, and liver) transplantation has resulted in improved patient and graft survival. Nephrotoxicity is one of the major side effects of tacrolimus and cyclosporine therapy and may lead to ESRD. The trend of referral of nonrenal solid-organ transplant recipients for kidney transplant evaluation at a large multiorgan transplant center was examined. Records of all patients who were referred for renal transplantation at the University of Alabama between January 1, 1993, and June 30, 2004, were reviewed. Eighty (0.96%) of 8318 individuals had previously undergone a nonrenal solid-organ transplant and were included in the study. The majority (72%) of patients had their nonrenal transplants performed at the University of Alabama. Twenty-two patients had their nonrenal transplant performed elsewhere and had fewer data available for analysis. From the period 1993–1996 to 2001–2004, an 11-fold increase in the absolute number of referrals of patients with nonrenal transplants was noted. Of patients who were referred for transplant evaluation, 25 became recipients of kidney transplants with a predominance of living-donor transplants. Referral for kidney transplant evaluation among nonrenal solid-organ transplant recipients is increasing and will exacerbate the existing shortage of deceased-donor kidneys that are available for transplantation. There was a trend for liver transplant recipients compared with other solid-organ recipients to develop ESRD at a greater rate.