Sequential Transplant of Paired Kidneys Following Donation After Cardiac Death: Impact of Longer Cold Ischemia Time on the Second Kidney on Graft and Patient Outcome

The United Kingdom has no national sharing scheme for kidneys received from donation after cardiac death (DCD). Therefore, both kidneys retrieved by a transplant team are implanted at a single unit, often sequentially. This study analyzes the impact of a prolonged cold ischaemia time on the second transplanted kidney and the effects on short-term and long-term outcomes in all our DCD renal implants from 2002 to 2009. Cold ischaemia time was significantly longer with the second kidney (P = .04) as was delayed graft function (P = .02). Acute rejection was increased in the first transplanted kidney (P < .001). Five-year patient survival was comparable between groups, but 5-year graft survival was higher in the second transplanted group (P = .04). The results confirm that, provided recipient centers are willing to accept higher initial rates of delayed graft function, it is acceptable to transplant DCD grafts sequentially without jeopardizing long-term graft or recipient outcome.