#3370 Return to Dialysis After Kidney Transplantation, a Reality of Today: Describing Our Experience

Abstract

Background and Aims Longer survival in renal transplantation means an increase in the number of patients who return to dialysis after graft loss. There is little literature about the management of immunosupression(IS) in these patients and the complications derived from its maintenance and its withdrawal/reduction. Method We conducted a retrospective study involving a cohort of patients who returned to dialysis after graft failure at Doce de Octubre Hospital from 2015 to 2022. We analyzed baseline characteristics, IS withdrawal scheme, and the complications derived in the 27 months following the restart of dialysis. Results A total of 50 patients were enrolled in the study: 58% male, 86% hypertensive, 30% diabetic and 52% with heart disease. The median age at transplant was 41.5 (33.7-53.2). 70% of donations were in brain death, 18% asystole and 10% alive. The duration of the graft was 8.5 years (5,14), 96% of patients developed anti-HLA antibodies and 40% suffered active rejection. Upon restarting dialysis, all the patients were receiving IS: 84% calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) (tacrolimus, cyclosporine), 58% antimetabolites (mycophenolate, azathioprine), and 10% mTOR inhibitors (everolimus). Haemodialysis was performed in 70% of patients through central venous catheterization in 68.6%. The median time to stop IS was 10 months (6,19). Between the first and the third month, imTOR [0(0.4)] and antimetabolite [1(0.3)] were finalized. Discontinuance of CNI and steroids was at 2 months (1,8) and 8 months (3,15.7) respectively. As complications derived of IS, 64% of patients developed serious infection and 12% were diagnosticated of neoplasms. On the other hand, eighteen patients presented immunological intolerance to the graft, 100% requiring an increase of steroids, 72.2% percutaneous embolization and finally 50% require a transplantectomy. The rate of immunological intolerance, embolization and transplantectomy was higher in patients with withdrawal IS during the first year. Patients on haemodialysis (HD) had higher rate of graft intolerance compared to peritoneal dialysis (PD) (40.5% vs 23%), attributable to early suspension of IS (62% before the first year), but similar rate of infection (61.5%PD, 64.8%HD). At 27 months (14.5,44.2) of follow-up after returning dialysis, 64% of patients remained on dialysis (30% on waiting list for a second kidney transplantation), 28% were retransplanted, and 8% were died. Conclusion Most of transplant recipients returned to haemodialysis through a venous catheter. Withdrawal of immunosuppression was performed on a median of 10 months, faster in mTOR and antimetabolites, and more progressive in CNI and steroids. Stop IS before the first year is more common in haemodialysis group and it is associated with a higher rate of graft intolerance. Finally we want to highlight the significant percentage of embolizations in our hospital, that let us avoid a 12.2% of the transplantectomies.