Post-reperfusion Syndrome during Renal Transplantation: A Retrospective Study

Post-reperfusion syndrome (PRS) is a serious, widely reported complication following the reperfusion of an ischemic tissue or organ. We sought to determine the prevalence, risk factors and short-term outcomes of PRS related renal transplantation. We conducted a retrospective, case-control study of patients undergoing renal transplantation between July 2006 and March 2008. Identification of PRS was based on a drop in mean arterial pressure by at least 15% within 5 minutes of donor kidney reperfusion. Of the 150 consecutive renal transplantations reviewed, 6 patients (4%) met criteria for post-reperfusion syndrome. Univariate analysis showed that an age over 60, diabetes mellitus, Asian race, and extended criteria donors increased the odds of developing PRS by 4.8 times (95% CI [1.2, 20]; P=.0338), 4.5 times (95% CI [1.11, 18.8]; P=.0378), 35.5 times (95% CI [3.94, 319.8]; P=0.0078) and 9.6 times (95% CI [1.19, 76.28] P=0.0115) respectively. Short term follow-up revealed increased graft failure rate within 6 months (6% vs. 16% P=0.0125) and almost twice the number of hospital days post-transplant in PRS cohorts (5.43 ± 2.29 vs. 10.8 ± 7.29 P=<0.0001). Despite limited reporting, PRS appears to be a relatively common complication of renal transplantation and is associated with increase morbidity.