Influence of intravenous iron on bacterial infection risk immediately following kidney transplantation

Kidney transplant recipients are at higher risk of infections due to immunosuppression, especially in the perioperative period after receiving induction therapy. Administration of iron has been linked to bacterial infections. This study investigated if receipt of intravenous iron at the time of kidney transplant increased bacterial infections post-transplant.

This single-center, retrospective study compared patients who received intravenous iron at the time of kidney transplant to those who did not. Patients were followed for 12 weeks after transplant. The primary outcome was incidence of bacterial infections following transplant; hemoglobin and transfusion needs were also examined.

A total of 416 patients who received intravenous iron were compared to 416 patients who did not. Bacterial infections were similar between groups (14.4% iron group vs. 15.9% non-iron group). Intravenous iron did not influence bacterial infections on univariable or multivariable analyses when other infection confounders were accounted for. Patients who did not receive intravenous iron required more packed red blood cell transfusions in the 3 months following transplantation, but this was driven by factors other than intravenous iron as demonstrated by a post-hoc analysis.

Intravenous iron did not increase the risk of bacterial infections in the immediate post-kidney transplant setting. Bacterial infections after transplant were associated with female sex, increasing age at transplant, receipt of transfusions, and increased duration of urinary catheters.