Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Cardiac Surgery for Kidney Transplant Patients

Immunosuppressant and steroid are inevitable for graft survival after renal transplantation, and their usage is known to be a risk factor for mortality and morbidity after cardiac surgery. We evaluated the long-term clinical outcomes in patients who underwent cardiac surgery after renal transplantation.

We retrospectively reviewed 23 patients who underwent cardiac surgery after renal transplantation with maintained grafts at the time of the cardiac surgery in our institution between June 2000 and June 2018 (19 males, 4 females; mean age, 55 (38-81) years).

The interval from renal transplantation to cardiac surgery was 80.0 ± 84.6 (0.25-298) months. The mean follow-up period after cardiac surgery was 78.3 (range: 1-216) months. Cumulative survival rates at 1, 5, 7, and 10 years were 95.7%, 95.7%, 87.7%, and 68.2%, respectively. Renal graft survival rates at 1 and 5 years were 86.1% and 79.9%, respectively.

This retrospective review suggests that cardiac surgery in kidney transplant patients can result in good survival rates. Thanks to dedicated postoperative and long-term management, approximately 80% of the renal grafts still maintained their function 5 years after cardiac surgery.