Renal transplantation from non-heart beating donors: a promising alternative to enlarge the donor pool.

The aim of this study was to compare the survival and midterm function of kidneys from non-heart beating donors (NHBD) with those of kidneys from heart beating donors (HBD). From 1989 to 1998, 144 kidneys were procured from NHBD at the Hospital Clínico San Carlos in Madrid, of which 95 were transplanted. The kidney grafts were maintained from the moment of the diagnosis of cardiac arrest until the time of procurement by cardiopulmonary bypass. There was no significant difference in renal function and the number of rejection episodes between the NHBD and HBD transplants. The NHBD kidneys showed a 5.73-fold increase in the incidence of delayed graft function (adjusted relative risk 95% confidence interval, 2.82 to 11.62). One- and five-year survival rates for NHBD grafts were 84.6 and 82.7%, respectively, compared with 87.5 and 83.9% for HBD (P = 0.5767). Cox analysis showed that the predictive factors for worse NHBD graft survival were type of NHBD donor and the occurrence of corticoresistant rejection. Ninety of the NHBD organs were procured from subjects suffering irreversible cardiac arrest on the street who were transferred to our center for the sole purpose of donation. Fifty-four of these kidneys were transplanted and all showed primary function. When a strict protocol is adhered to, the outcome of renal transplant from NHBD compares well with that from HBD. It is believed that the high number of organs obtained from subjects undergoing irreversible cardiac arrest on the street might encourage the adoption of new criteria for the management of this type of pathology with the ultimate goal of kidney donation.