Transfusion and kidney graft survival in Finland

The influence of blood transfusions prior to kidney transplantation on graft survival was analyzed in a series of 406 first transplantations, including 321 necro-kidneys. Among the 131 females with necrokidneys, 14 had not been pregnant or received transfusions, neither had 70 of the 190 male necrokidney recipients been transfused. In comparison with these controls, a slightly better graft survival was observed in the "immune-triggered" patients, especially in those with no detectable lymphocytotoxic antibodies before transplantation, and more markedly in female than in male patients. The effect of pregnancies seemed the same as that of transfusions. The age and pretransplantation dialysis treatment of the recipient appeared irrelevant to graft survival. "Immune-triggering" slightly improved graft survival also in the living donor category.