Introduction and Objective: There is evidence that donor hyperglycemia is a risk factor for poor early graft function in orthotopic liver transplant recipients and for pancreas allograft recipients. We explored the influence of glycemic control in cadaveric donors, from the time of referral to time of organ procurement, as a risk factor for delayed graft function (DGF).
Methods: We reviewed 78 consecutive cadaveric renal transplants retrospectively from December 2000 to December 2003. We excluded 14 transplants that were pre-emptive or combined organ transplants. The levels of donor peak glucose, lowest glucose, terminal glucose and mean glucose were recorded. Our primary outcome metric was percent of patients with delayed graft function, defined as requiring dialysis within the first seven days following transplantation.
Results: 18 patients (23%) had delayed graft function and 60 patients (77%) had normal function. The organ donors to these two groups of patients were equally matched by gender, age, number of pressors, days in ICU, HLA mismatch, PRA, duration of cold and warm ischemia time, down time, cause of death, and presence of HTN. We found no difference in peak glucose, lowest glucose, terminal glucose or mean donor glucose among donors to recipients with either DGF or normal function. Donor diabetes was seen in 3/18 patients with DGF and in only 1/60 with no delay in function, p = 0.036. The recipients in both groups had similar causes of renal failure. There was no increase in DGF in patients undergoing retranslantation, and 1 year graft survival and patient survival were similar among those with DGF compared to those with normal function.
Conclusions: Hyperglycemic control in cadaveric renal donors had no impact on post transplant function.

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