Kidneys from deceased donors with oliguria are feasible for kidney transplantation

Since kidneys from deceased donors with oliguria have not been widely used, compared their outcomes with those in recipients of kidneys without oliguria at the time of organ procurement.

We reviewed the deceased donors and kidney recipients between January 1999 and December 2009, all of whom were defined as standard criteria donors (SCD).

The group included 26 recipients whose terminal serum creatinine level (P < .001), estimated glomerular filtration rates (P < .001), and deceased donor scores (P < .001) were higher than those of the control group. Delayed graft function (P = .044) occurred more often among recipients with donor kidneys with oliguria than those without oliguria, and their hospitalization period was longer (P = .012). The serum creatinine levels in both groups were comparable posttransplantation; there was no significant difference in graft survivals.

Deceased donors with oliguria at organ procurement appeared to be poor predictors of outcomes in the early posttransplantation period. Kidneys from deceased donors with oliguria should not be discarded for transplantation. The present study suggested that it is acceptable to use kidneys from selected deceased donors with oliguria.