Method of preservation is not a determinant of graft outcome in kidneys transplanted by Southeastern Organ Procurement Foundation Institutions.

We report the observation that the major sources of variation in cadaver renal allograft survival rates are not related to the technique of donor organ preservation but are related solely to other factors including pretransplant blood transfusion of the recipient, antilymphocyte serum (ALS) treatment of the recipient, and high HLA match. In contrast to prior studies which used univariate methods to analyze similar data, our analysis shows that it is imperative that comparisons of different methods of cadaver preservation must include adjustments for the effects of pretransplant blood transfusions, antilymphocyte serum, and HLA match.