Outcomes and Mortality in Renal Transplant Recipients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

In the intensive care unit (ICU), mortality is considered higher among renal transplant recipients than among nontransplantation patients. However, data regarding severe complications after kidney transplantation are scarce.

In this study, we evaluated all consecutive renal transplant recipients admitted to our ICU between July 2012 and July 2013 (n = 70), comparing their outcomes with those of a control group of nontransplantation patients admitted during the same period (n = 153). Among the transplant recipients, we compared survivors and nonsurvivors to identify predictors of ICU mortality.

The mean age of the transplant recipients was 52 ± 13 years. Of the 70 transplant recipients, 18 (25%) required mechanical ventilation, 28 (40%) required inotropic support, and 27 (39%) required hemodialysis, all of which are factors that worsen the prognosis significantly. Twenty-two (31%) of the transplant recipients died in the ICU and 17 (24%) died within 30 days after ICU discharge, rates similar to those observed for the control group.

We observed similar mortality between recipient and control groups, albeit the mortality was higher in the clinical group. In the multivariate model, the need for mechanical ventilation and the need for hemodialysis were independently associated with mortality.