Blood-transfusions induce prolonged kidney allograft survival in rhesus monkeys

A prospective study has been carried out in rhesus monkeys to investigate the influence of blood-transfusions on kidney allograft survival. Unrelated animals matched for 2 or 3 antigens of the A and B locus of the major histocompatibility complex were given five consecutive blood-transfusions before transplantation and received conventional immunosuppressive treatment. Transfused recipients showed a four-fold increase in mean survival time compared with the non-transfused controls. These results may contribute to a change of policy regarding blood-transfusions in transplant patients.