Outcome of transplantation of non-heart-beating donor kidneys

To reduce the shortage of kidneys for transplantation, we started a non-heart-beating (NHB) donor programme, and compared the short-term and long-term outcomes of kidneys from NHB donors with those of a matched group of kidneys from heart-beating (HB) donors. 57 NHB kidneys were procured at the University Hospital in Maastricht and at three regional hospitals in the Netherlands, and were transplanted in 21 transplant centres within the Eurotransplant exchange organisation. 114 matched controls from HB donors were selected from Eurotransplant files. Mean follow-up was 85 months. At 5 years, graft survival was 54% for NHB kidneys and 55% for HB kidneys; patient survival was 75% and 77%. Kidneys from NHB donors had a significantly higher rate of delayed graft function (60% vs 35%), resulting in a longer hospital stay. Primary non-function of the graft was seen as frequently in the NHB donor-kidney group as in the HB group (14% vs 8%, p = 0.3). We conclude that NHB donors are a valuable source of kidneys for transplantation.