Simultaneous Lung-Kidney Transplantation in the United States

Simultaneous lung-kidney transplantation is rarely performed. Contemporary national practice trends and outcomes are unclear.

From the United Network for Organ Sharing database, we identified 108 lung-kidney transplant recipients (2005-2022). They were compared with isolated lung recipients with pretransplantation dialysis or estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≤30 mL/min per 1.73 m² (n = 372) and isolated non-dialysis-dependent lung recipients with 30 < eGFR < 50 mL/min per 1.73 m² (n = 1416), respectively. Lung-kidney recipients were also compared with recipients of the contralateral kidney from the same donors (n = 90).

Lung-kidney transplantation was performed by 36 centers, with increasing annual volume (1 in 2005, 16 in 2022; P < .01). Forty percent (44/108) of lung-kidney recipients received pretransplantation dialysis, and of those without pretransplantation dialysis, median eGFR was 30.7 mL/min per 1.73 m². Lung-kidney recipients had improved survival compared with isolated lung recipients with eGFR ≤30 mL/min per 1.73 m² or pretransplantation dialysis (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.38-0.92). However, no survival benefit was observed when lung-kidney recipients were compared with isolated lung recipients with 30 < eGFR < 50 mL/min per 1.73 m² and no pretransplantation dialysis (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.55-1.41). Compared with isolated kidney recipients using the contralateral kidney from the same donors, lung-kidney recipients had a higher risk of kidney allograft loss (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.27; 95% CI, 1.22-8.78), a difference largely accounted for by patient death with a functioning kidney allograft.

Recipients of lung-kidney transplants had improved survival compared with isolated lung recipients with eGFR ≤30 mL/min per 1.73 m² or pretransplantation dialysis. However, lung-kidney recipients had a higher rate of kidney allograft loss than recipients of the contralateral kidney allograft from the same donors.