Objectives: In 2011, a pilot program of organ donation after cardiac death was begun at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China, where we hosted one of the largest donation after cardiac death organ transplant programs in the country. We report our initial single-center experiences of kidney transplant from donation after cardiac deaths.
Materials and methods: From January 2011 to July 2013 at our center, 101 kidney transplants from donation after cardiac death donors were performed. The results of kidney transplants from donation after cardiac death donors were compared with those of 50 kidney transplants from donation after brain death performed during the same time.
Results: Delayed graft function occurred more frequently in donation after cardiac death than donation after brain death kidneys (16.8% vs 4.0%; P = .035). There was no difference in the incidence of acute rejection between donation after cardiac death and donation after brain death kidneys (10.9% vs 6.0%). Actual 1-year graft survival rate was similar (donation after cardiac death 94.4% vs donation after brain death 96.2%). Estimated glomerular filtration rate at 12 months was similar between donation after cardiac death and donation after brain death kidneys (73.8 ± 20.0 vs 77.8 ± 22.7 mL/min/1.73 m2).
Conclusions: Kidney transplants from donation after cardiac death donors have comparable short-term outcomes to kidney transplants from donation after brain death donors. Donation after cardiac death can play a crucial role in overcoming the organ shortage in China.