Infections related to renal transplantation requiring intensive care admission: a 20-year study

The aim of this study was to evaluate infection complications as the reason for intensive care unit (ICU) admission among transplant recipients.

We studied all renal transplant recipients with infectious complications admitted to our ICU from 1992 to 2012:44.3% of all renal transplant recipients admitted to ICU. The epidemiology and prognosis of infectious complications requiring ICU admission were evaluated with analysis of mortality factors.

The 22 men and 5 women included in this study showed a mean age of 42.7 ± 12.3 years. The Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation II and Seguential Organ Failure Assessment scores on ICU admission were 20 ± 4.6 and 8.6 ± 3.9, respectively. The main infections complications requiring ICU admission were cytomegalovirus pneumonia (n = 15) and aspergillus pneumonia (n = 4). Sixteen patients required hemodialysis and 14, catecholamine support upon ICU admission owing to septic shock. The mortality rate among study patients was 62.9%, versus 26.5% for noninfectious renal transplant recipients requiring ICU admissions. Catecholamine support at ICU admission was independently related to mortality.

The mortality rate of renal transplant recipients admitted to ICU owing infection complications was higher than that of noninfected renal transplant patients. These data suggest that infections and septic shock in renal transplant recipients requiring ICU admission worsen their outcome significantly.