Impact of preoperative renal replacement therapy on the clinical outcome of heart transplant patients

Renal dysfunction is considered as a relative contraindication for heart transplantation (HTx). However, in the real world setting, many patients with advanced heart failure (HF) experience worsening of renal function and some even require renal replacement therapy (RRT) by the time they undergo HTx. We aimed to investigate the prognosis and clinical outcomes of HTx patients who required RRT during the perioperative period. The Korean Organ Transplant Registry (KOTRY) is a nationwide organ transplant registry in Korea. A total of 501 HTx patients had been prospectively enrolled in the KOTRY registry during 2014-2018. Among the 501 patients, 13 underwent combined heart and kidney transplantation (HKTx). The 488 patients who underwent isolated HTx were grouped according to their pre- and postoperative RRT status. The primary outcome was progression to dialysis-dependent end-stage renal disease (ESRD) after HTx. The secondary outcome was all-cause mortality after HTx. The median follow-up was 22 months (9-39 months). Patients who needed preoperative RRT but were free from postoperative RRT showed comparable overall survival and renal outcome to patients who were free from both pre- and postoperative RRT. In multivariable analysis, preoperative RRT was not associated with progression to ESRD or all-cause mortality after HTx; however, postoperative RRT was a significant predictor for both progression to ESRD and all-cause mortality after HTx. Preoperative creatinine or estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were not predictive of progression to ESRD after HTx. The present analysis suggests that preoperative RRT requirement does not indicate irreversible renal dysfunction in patients waiting for HTx. However, postoperative RRT was associated with progression to ESRD and mortality after HTx.

Automated summary

The study showed that the need for preoperative renal replacement therapy does not indicate irreversible renal dysfunction in patients awaiting heart transplantation. However, postoperative renal replacement therapy was associated with progression to end-stage renal disease and mortality after heart transplantation.