One Hundred Percent Three-year Graft and Patient Survival: Kidney Transplantation at Saint Joseph Hospital of Orange.

Ruzics EP, Abe M, Escobedo W, Gull P, Weil M.

Clinical Transplants 2010, Chapter 15

Summary

We report 99 consecutive renal transplants between 7/1/04 and 6/30/07 with 100% 3-year graft survival, statistically higher than expected per the SRTR (p < 0.01). Ninety-eight patients had antibody induction of immunosuppression with either daclizumab (n = 52) or Thymoglobulin (n = 46). Steroids were minimized with nearly all patients tapered to prednisone 5 mg by discharge. Sixteen patients experienced early rejection. Twelve of the rejections were in 85 patients who received ABO compatible first transplants. Of these 12 rejections, 11 occurred in patients who had been induced with daclizumab and one with Thymoglobulin (p = 0.01). Immunosuppression, infection prophylaxis and surveillance, and all medical and social issues potentially impacting graft or patient survival were managed by the transplant center for the first year minimum, and as long as clinically indicated post-transplant. Patients were educated to have all subsequent medical and social issues triaged by the transplant center for the life of the transplant.