Hospital Cost of Complications After Kidney Transplant

Kidney transplant is considered the best treatment of rehabilitation for chronic kidney disease, but clinical and/or surgical complications may occur after transplant. The study aimed to assess the cost of complications after kidney transplant.

This is a descriptive, retrospective, and exploratory study that used data from Hospital Information System ("Sistema de Informação Hospitalar"). We identified the patients with records of kidney transplant in the states of northern and northeastern Brazil in 2013. These patients were followed up through the records, specifically from 2013 to 2017. The variables analyzed were sex, age, and period after transplant of readmissions (early, intermediate, or late), the main complications within 4 years after the kidney transplant, and cost of hospital admissions.

There were 893 patients with records of kidney transplant in the regions of the study. During the follow-up period, 319 patients had complications. Most hospital readmissions involved male patients (63.6%; n = 203). Mean age was 45 (SD, 15.14) years. Patients developed complications mainly in the early period after transplant (70.22%; n = 224). The number of hospital admissions was 758. The main complications were regarding urinary tract (72.02%; n = 546), infections (19.79%; n = 150), and vascular and/or pulmonary (2.90%; n = 22). The total cost for the treatment of these complications was US $528,329.51.

By analyzing the data it was possible to identify that there is a significant cost involved in the treatment of complications after kidney transplant.