Two Laparotomy Surgeries to Achieve Hemostasis After Kidney Transplantation in a Patient With Frailty: A Case Report

The assessment of frailty before and after kidney transplantation is becoming more important in the aging population. It is recommended to recognize the post-transplant risks and establish a treatment strategy. We report the case of a patient who underwent 2 laparotomy hemostasis procedures due to frailty after kidney transplantation.

A 72-year-old woman presented with end-stage renal failure due to an unknown primary disease. She was also found to be frail when assessed using the physical frailty phenotype. She underwent ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation from her husband at the end of March 2020. On the first postoperative day, re-operation for hematoma evacuation was performed. The bleeding point could not be identified at that time. Progression of anemia was observed on the sixth postoperative day, and computed tomography showed no obvious bleeding. Subsequently, the renal allograft started functioning immediately, without rejection. However, emergency laparotomy for hematoma removal was performed on the 22nd postoperative day. Bleeding had occurred from the anastomotic region of the renal allograft artery and the external iliac artery. Her serum creatinine levels and renal function remained stable one month after surgery.

We encountered a case of living-donor kidney transplantation in a frail older woman who underwent 2 laparotomies due to hemorrhage. Perioperative risk management is necessary for patients with a high risk of postoperative bleeding. To ensure a good outcome, preoperative and postoperative rehabilitation is important for patients with frailty.