The effect of perioperative hydration in allogenic renal graft recipients

The authors evaluated the effect of perioperative hydration by 20% human albumin, packed red blood cells (RBC) and saline in allogenic renal graft recipients. In the group of recipients selectively hydrated, the incidence of postoperative oligoanuria decreased from the initial 62 to 25.7% compared with 50% in the group of nonhydrated patients. However, in the former group graft ruptures occurred in 10% as against 1.6% only in the latter. Potential causal relation between the higher incidence of ruptures and perioperative hydration has not been demonstrated and will be subject to further study. With respect to the lower risk imposed on the patients with rupture than on those with postoperative oligoanuria (higher survival rate of grafts and lower mortality of patients) the authors recommend routine introduction of body fluid expansion during operation in allogenic renal graft recipients from cadaver donors.