Does expanded criteria donor status modify the outcomes of kidney transplantation from donors after cardiac death?

The outcomes of kidney transplants that simultaneously exhibit donation after cardiac death (DCD) and expanded criteria donor (ECD) characteristics have not been well studied. We examined the outcomes of DCD versus non-DCD kidney transplants as a function of ECD status and the kidney donor risk index (KDRI). A cohort study of 67 816 deceased donor kidney transplant recipients (KTR), including 562 ECD/DCD KTR, from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2009 was conducted using the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. In a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model, the modestly increased risk of total graft failure in DCD versus non-DCD KTR was not significantly modified by ECD status (hazard ratio1.07 [95% CI: 1.01, 1.15] for non-ECD vs. 1.21 [95% CI: 1.04, 1.40] for ECD, p for interaction = 0.14).Moreover, the hazard ratios did not significantly vary by KDRI quintiles (p = 0.40). Similar trends were seen for death-censored graft failure and death with graft function. In conclusion, ECD status or higher KDRI score did not appreciably increase the relative hazard of adverse graft and patient outcomes in DCD KTR. These findings suggest that the judicious use of ECD/DCD donor kidneys may be an appropriate strategy to expand the donor pool. © Copyright 2012 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.