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Background There is limited current knowledge on feasibility and safety of kidney transplantation in COVID-19 survivors. Methods We present a retrospective cohort study of 75 kidney transplants in patients who recovered from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed COVID-19 performed across 22 transplant centers in India from July 3, 2020 to January 31, 2021. We detail demographics, clinical manifestations, immunosuppression regimen, laboratory findings, treatment and outcomes. Patients with a previous diagnosis of COVID-19 were accepted after documenting 2 negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests, normal chest imaging with complete resolution of symptom for at least 28 days and significant social distancing for 14 days prior to surgery. Results Clinical severity in patients ranged from asymptomatic (n=17, 22.7%), mild(n=36,48%), moderate(n=15,20%) and severe(n=7,9.3%) disease. Median duration between PCR positive to transplant was 60 days (overall) and, increased significantly from asymptomatic, mild, moderate and severe disease (49,57,83,94 days, P-value 0.019) respectively. All recipients and donors were asymptomatic with normal creatinine after surgery at a median (interquartile range) follow up of 81 (56-117) days without any complications relating to surgery or COVID-19. Patient and graft survival was 100%, and acute rejection was reported in 6.6%. Conclusions Prospective kidney transplant recipients post-COVID-19 can be considered for transplantation after comprehensive donor and recipient screening before surgery using a combination of clinical, radiologic, and laboratory criteria, careful pre-transplant evaluation, and individualized risk-benefit analysis. Further large-scale prospective studies with longer follow-up will better clarify our initial findings. Till date, this remains the first largest study of kidney transplantation in COVID-19 survivors.Supplemental Visual Abstract; http://links.lww.com/TP/C180.

To determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding organ donation in western India.Convenience sampling was used to generate a sample of 250; 200 interviews were successfully completed and used for analysis. Data collection was carried out via face to face interviews based on a pre-tested questionnaire in selected public areas of Ahmedabad, Gujarat state of India. Data entry was made in excel software in codes and analysis was done by SPSS software.About 86% of participants were aware of the term organ donation but knowledge about its various aspects was low. About 48% aware people heard about organ donation through medical fraternity, whereas only about 21% became aware through mass media. About 59% of aware people believed there is a potential danger of donated organs being misused, abused or misappropriated. About 47% of aware people said they would consider donating organs, while only 16% said they would definitely donate irrespective of circumstances. Around 97.67% participants said they would prefer to donate to nonsmokers. About 74.41% participants were unaware about any legislation regarding organ donation. About 77% participants showed their will to donate to mentally sound persons, and 42.04% participants showed their will to donate even physically challenged people. Around 78 participants felt that they would donate organs to persons irrespective of their religion. About 81% of aware people were of the opinion that consent for organ donation after death should be given by family members. None of the interviewed participants had a donor card.Better knowledge and awareness will help in promoting organ donation. Effective campaign needs to be driven to educate people with relevant information with the involvement of media, doctors and religious scholars.

According to the Indian chronic kidney disease registry, in 2010 only 2% of end stage kidney disease patients were managed with kidney transplantation, 37% were managed with dialysis and 61% were treated conservatively without renal replacement therapy. In countries like India, where a well-organized deceased donor kidney transplantation program is not available, living donor kidney transplantation is the major source of organs for kidney transplantation. The most common reason to decline a donor for directed living donation is ABO incompatibility, which eliminates up to one third of the potential living donor pool. Because access to transplantation with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-desensitization protocols and ABO incompatible transplantation is very limited due to high costs and increased risk of infections from more intense immunosuppression, kidney paired donation (KPD) promises hope to a growing number of end stage kidney disease patients. KPD is a rapidly growing and cost-effective living donor kidney transplantation strategy for patients who are incompatible with their healthy, willing living donor. In principle, KPD is feasible for any centre that performs living donor kidney transplantation. In transplant centres with a large living donor kidney transplantation program KPD does not require extra infrastructure, decreases waiting time, avoids transplant tourism and prevents commercial trafficking. Although KPD is still underutilized in India, it has been performed more frequently in recent times. To substantially increase donor pool and transplant rates, transplant centres should work together towards a national KPD program and frame a uniform acceptable allocation policy.

In India, there are a large number of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients waiting for renal transplantation (RT). Organ retrieval from brain dead deceased donor (DD) is getting increased attention as the waiting list for organ recipients far exceeds the organ donor pool. In our country, despite a large population, the number of brain dead donors undergoing organ donation is very less. DDRT is the possible solution to bridge the disparity between organ supply and demand. In India, the potential for DDRT is huge due to the high number of fatal road traffic accidents and this pool is yet to be tapped.We report DDRT outcome in 294 patients (age: 36.5 ± 14.1 years; male:female, 200:94) between 2005 and 2012. All patients received single-dose rabbit-anti-thymocyte globulin for induction and steroids, calcineurin inhibitor, and mycophenolate mofetil/azathioprine for maintenance immunosuppression.Our retrospective study in 294 DDRT shows a fairly successful outcome. Over a mean follow-up of 3.93 years, patient and graft survival rates were 81.7% and 92.6%, respectively, with a median serum creatinine of 1.5 mg/dL. 20.7% had biopsy-proven acute rejection.Given the widespread organ shortage, DDRT has a potential to expand the donor pool and shorten the waiting list for RT, encouraging the use of this approach even in low-income countries. Aggressive donor management, increasing public awareness about the concept of organ donation, good communication between clinician and the family members, and a well-trained team of transplant coordinators can help in improving the number of organ donations.

Renal transplantation (RTx) has now become an accepted therapeutic modality of choice for elderly ESRD patients. This single-center study was undertaken to evaluate the outcome of RTx in ESRD patients ≥55 years. A total of 103 patients underwent RTx 79 living related living donors [LD], 24 deceased donors [DD]) at our center. Post-transplant immunosuppression consisted of calcineurin inhibitor-based regimen. The mean donor age was 58.3 years in the LD group and 59.5 years in the DD group. Male recipients constituted 92% in LD and 75% in DD group. In living donor renal transplantation, 1- and 5-year patient survival was 93% and 83.3% respectively and death-censored graft survival was 97.3% and 92.5% respectively. There were 12.6% biopsy proven acute rejection (BPAR) episodes and 12.6% patients were lost, mainly due to infections. In deceased donor renal transplantation, 1- and 5-year patient survival was 79.1% and 74.5% respectively and death-censored graft survival was 95.8% and 85.1% respectively. There were 12.5% BPAR episodes and 25% of patients were lost, mainly due to infections. RTx in ESRD (≥55 years) patients has acceptable patient and graft survival if found to have cardiac fitness and therefore should be encouraged.

Kidney paired donation (KPD) is a rapidly growing modality for facilitating living donor kidney transplantation (LDKTx) for patients who are incompatible with their healthy, willing and living donor. The impact of donor-recipient age difference on long and short-term graft and patient survivals in LDKTx is still uncertain.A total of 1502 LDKTx recipients who received regular follow-up in our center from 1999 to 2012 were studied. Donor-recipient age difference was divided into subgroups (donor-recipient 0-10, 11-20, 0-20, 21-30, 31-40, and 21-40 years). Outcome measures included death censored graft, patient survival and acute rejection rate.The 1-, 5-, 10-year patient survival of the donor-recipient age difference ≤20 years group showed no difference compared with the age difference20 years group (94.5%, 83.2%, 71.9% and 95.2%, 86%, 77.8%, p = 0.053). The 1-, 5-, 10-year graft survival of the donor-recipient age difference ≤20 years group showed no difference compared with the age difference20 years group (94.6%, 81.6%, 72.1% and 94%, 80%, 72.2%, p = 0.989). The rejection were also similar (17.5% vs. 16.5%, p 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in graft survival and acute rejection rate in all subgroups.Older donors (usually within families) are not associated with worse outcome is reassuring. KPD should not be prohibited due to high donor-recipient age difference, when size of donor pool is small as in single center KPD program.

The presence of positive anti-human, globulin-enhanced, complement-dependent cytotoxicity crossmatches (AHG-CDC-XM) generally has been considered as a contraindication to kidney transplantation (KTx). Flow cytometry crossmatch (FCXM) and solid phase antibody screening are most sensitive and specific methods for immunological assessment. The outcome effect of donor-specific antibody (DSA) positive by Luminexx platform and CDCXM negative has been evaluated, but not the outcome of CDCXM positive and DSA negative. This is a case report describing KTx in a patient with pre-transplant positive AHG-CDC-XM but negative FCXM and without detectable DSA by Luminexx single antigen beads. CDCXM, FCXM, DSA were negative after transplantation, and kidney allograft biopsy did not show immune injury with negative C4d. Our report suggests that KTx with positive AHG-CDC-XM can be considered if FCXM and DSA were negative with careful immunological monitoring after transplantation. In our case, the IgM-antibodies were responsible for the positive AHG-CDC-XM result. The patient with positive CDC XM has a good outcome in the absence of DSA. Further work is needed to determine under what circumstances CDCXM positive transplants can be performed with FCXM and DSA negative.

Limited information is available in the literature about the use of organs from donation after cardiac death (DCD) renal transplantation (RTx) from a developing country.We report RTx outcome between DCD donors ≥70 years (Group 1; n = 14; mean age, 75.7 ± 5.81) and DCD donors 70 years (Group 2; n = l9; mean age, 51.7 ± 10.1) between January 1999 and January 2012. The mean age of recipients was 39.5 ± 14.7 years, 24 of whom were males. The mean donor age was 61.9 ± 14.6 years, 21 of whom were males. All recipients received single-dose thymoglobulin induction followed by immunosuppression with a steroid, a calcineurin inhibitor, and mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprine. Statistical analysis used chi-square test and unpaired Student t test. Kaplan-Meier curves were used for survival analysis.Over a mean follow-up of 3.21 ± 3.46 years, one-, five-, and ten-year, patient survival rates were 77%, 67.4%, and 67.4%, respectively, and death-censored graft survival rates were 85.7% for one, five, and ten years. Delayed graft function (DGF) was observed in 36.4% (n = 12) with 12.1% (n = 4) biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR). Patient survival (P = .27), graft survival (P = .20), DGF (P = .51), and BPAR (P = .74) were similar in 2 groups. A total of 27.2% (n = 9) of patients died, mainly due to infections (n = 5).Given the widespread organ shortage, outcomes of controlled DCD renal transplantation has a potential to expand the donor pool and shorten the waiting list for RTx, encouraging the use of this approach even in low-income countries.

Down syndrome is one of the most common genetic causes of learning disabilities in children. Although the incidence of renal and urological involvement in Down syndrome is not very common, monitoring of patients with Down syndrome for renal diseases should be done regularly as patient’s age into the second and third decades. With increased survival, it appears that a growing number of these patients present with chronic renal failure. Down syndrome patients are apparently not suited for peritoneal dialysis because of lacking cooperation. This procedure can be prone to failure, mainly because of an increased risk of peritonitis. Handling such patients especially those on peritoneal dialysis is challenging. Here we report a case of Down syndrome with end-stage renal disease treated with hemodialysis for 6 months. To the best of our knowledge and current literature review this is the first case report of a patient with Down syndrome undergoing hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: We undertook this study to define the role of stem cell transplantation (SCT) versus donor-specific transfusion (DST) in tolerance induction and sustenance in living donor renal transplantation (LDRT). METHODS: In this prospective three-armed trial in LDRT with 13 patients each in demographically well-balanced groups, tolerance induction protocol (TIP) was used with SCT in group 1, DST in group 2, and no induction in group 3. Tolerance induction protocol consisted of SCT/DST under conditioning with bortezomib, methylprednisone, rituximab, and rabbit antithymocyte globulin. Transplantation was performed with prednisone in groups 1 and 2 and with triple immunosuppression in group 3, if lymphocyte/flow crossmatch was negative; and if donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) were absent in the first 2 groups. Posttransplant monitoring included serum creatinine (SCr), peripheral T-regulatory cells (pTregs)(127/CD4+/25), and DSA for groups 1 and 2; DSA was eliminated in group 3. Rescue IS was started with rise of SCr/DSA/ rejection. RESULTS: Tolerance induction protocol was safe. Over a mean follow-up of 2 years, no patient/graft was lost in groups 1 and 2. One patient of group 3 lost graft to noncompliance. Protocol biopsies were unremarkable. Rejections were noted in six patients of group 1, five of group 2, and seven of group 3. Donor-specific antibodies were elevated in three patients of both groups. Mean SCr of all groups was similar; however, pTregs were increased posttransplant in groups 1 and 2 versus group 3. Group 1 had sustained rise in pTregs. CONCLUSION: Stem cell transplantation and DST are useful for immunosuppression minimization in LDRT with sustained generation of pTregs with SCT.

Deceased donors (DDs) with the brain death due to head injury are the major source of organs for transplantation. The incidence of post-head injury disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) ranges from 24% to 50%. Many centers do not accept organs from donors with DIC due to increased risk of primary graft non-function and/or high chances of morbidity/mortality. We performed two successful renal transplants from a DD with head injury with DIC and deranged renal function. One of the recipients developed transient thrombocytopenia, but there was no evidence of DIC or delayed graft functions in either of the recipients. Over a follow-up of 1 month, both are doing well with stable graft function and hematological profile. Thus, a carefully selected DD with severe DIC even with deranged renal function is not a contraindication for organ donation if other risk factors for primary non-function are excluded. This approach will also help in overcoming organ shortage.

Although end-stage renal disease (ESRD) related to AA amyloidosis nephropathy secondary to tuberculosis is most common in our country, there are limited data concerning patient and graft outcome after renal transplantation (RTx). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of RTx in ESRD patient with secondary amyloidosis due to tuberculosis from India. A 30-year-old female with past history of pulmonary tuberculosis 3 years back was admitted with complaint of gradually progressive pedal oedema and nausea for 3 months. Renal biopsy was suggestive of secondary renal amyloidosis with vascular involvement and chronic tubulointerstitial involvement. She was transplanted with kidney from her 28-year-old brother with 3/6 human leukocyte antigen match. She had immediate good graft function without any perioperative complications (cardiovascular, infections, rejection and delayed graft function). She was discharged with serum creatinine of 0.8 mg/dL. Her last serum creatinine level was 0.9 mg/dL with cyclosporine level of 100 mg/dL at 9-month followup without any medical or surgical complication. The quality of life also improved after transplantation. With careful selection, ESRD patients with secondary amyloidosis due to tuberculosis are eligible for RTx with favorable outcome and improved quality of life.

Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) also called allergic granulomatosis and angiitis is a multisystem disorder. Churg-Strauss syndrome is defined as an eosinophil-rich, granulomatous inflammation involving the respiratory tract, along with necrotizing vasculitis affecting small- to medium-sized vessels, and is associated with asthma and eosinophilia. Renal involvement in CSS varies from 26 to 88 % but is usually of mild to moderate stage, and advanced renal failure is uncommon. We encountered an unusual case of 27-year-old man with asthma and primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis diagnosed as CSS showing myeloperoxidase anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated acute kidney injury with crescentic glomerulonephritis. Patient responded to steroid and cyclophosphamide. Over a follow-up of 2 months, he has no hematuria/eosinophilia and serum creatinine of 2.3 mg/dL has decreased to 1.7 mg/dL.

Economic constraints in operating an effective maintenance dialysis program leaves renal transplantation as the only viable option for end-stage renal disease patients in India. Kidney paired donation (KPD) is a rapidly growing modality for facilitating living donor (LD) transplantation for patients who are incompatible with their healthy, willing LD. The aim of our study was to report a single-center feasibilities and outcomes of KPD transplantation between 2000 and 2012. We performed KPD transplants in 70 recipients to avoid blood group incompatibility (n = 56) or to avoid a positive crossmatch (n = 14). Over a mean follow-up of 2.72 ± 2.96 years, one-, five- and ten-year patient survival were 94.6, 81, 81 %, and death-censored graft survival was 96.4, 90.2, 90.2 %, respectively. Ten percent of patients were lost, mainly due to infections (n = 4). There was 14.2 % biopsy-proven acute rejection, and 5.7 % interstitial fibrosis with tubular atrophy eventually leading to graft loss. The incidences of acute rejection, patient/graft survival rates were acceptable in our KPD program and, therefore, we believe it should be encouraged. These findings are valuable for encouraging participation of KPD pairs and transplant centers in national KPD program. It should be promoted in centers with low-deceased donor transplantation. Our study findings are relevant in the context of Indian government amending the Transplantation of Human Organs Act to encourage national KPD program. To our knowledge, it is largest single-center report from India.

Plasmodium vivax infection is increasingly a major public health burden and the second most frequent human malaria. Higher levels of clinical severity and chloroquine resistance are major factors responsible for such increases. Malarial glomerular injury is uncommon and mainly observed in Plasmodium malariae-infected patients. Occasionally, transient immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis is associated with Plasmodium falciparum infection. Coexistent crescentic glomerulonephritis and vivax malaria have not previously been reported. We report a fatal case of P. vivax malaria, who presented with acute renal failure. P. vivax monoinfection status was diagnosed with peripheral blood smear and rapid antigen test. Further evaluation for renal failure related to systemic illness and immunological markers were inconclusive. He was treated with antimalarial drugs, hemodialysis, and supportive therapy. Renal biopsy performed for nonrecovering renal failure reveled crescentic glomerulonephritis. This case highlights the need to thoroughly search for malaria-associated crescentic glomerulonephritis using renal biopsy after nonrecovering renal failure.

Kute VB, Trivedi HL, Vanikar AV, Shah PR, Gumber MR, Patel HV, Munjappa BC, Modi PR, Gera DN. Long-term outcome of deceased donor renal transplantation in pediatric recipients: A single-center experience from a developing country Abstract: RTx is best treatment for children with ESRD. Data scarcity on DDRTx outcome in children prompted us to review our experience. This study was undertaken to evaluate patient/graft survival, function vis-a-vis SCr, rejection episodes, and mortality in DDRTx performed in 37 children between 1998 and 2011. The most common recipient diseases leading to ESRD were congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract (48.6%) and chronic glomerulonephritis (18.9%). Mean recipient age was 13.8 ± 3.1 yr; 67.5% (n = 25) were men. Mean donor age was 38.8 ± 18.6 yr; 48.5% (n = 18) were men. Mean dialysis duration pre-transplantation was 15.5 ± 3.5 months. All recipients received r-ATG, and triple immunosuppression. Over a mean follow-up of 3.93 ± 3.5 yr, patient and graft survival rates were 72.9% (n = 27) and 83.7% (n = 31), respectively, with a mean SCr of 1.1 mg/dL; 21.6% (n = 8) of patients had acute rejection episodes; 24.3% (n = 9) of patients had DGF. A total of 27% (n = 10) patients died, mainly owing to infections (n = 6) and cardiovascular disease (n = 3). DDRTx is a viable option for children and achieves acceptable graft function with patient/graft survival over long-term follow-up, encouraging use of this approach.

Plasmodium vivax is causing increasingly more cases of severe malaria worldwide. Among 25 cases in India during 2010-2011, associated conditions were renal failure, thrombocytopenia, jaundice, severe anemia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, shock, cerebral malaria, hypoglycemia, and death. Further studies are needed to determine why P. vivax malaria is becoming more severe.

Methanol is a cheap and potent adulterant of illicit liquors. Hemodialysis (HD) is the best method to rapidly remove both toxic acid metabolites and parent alcohols, and it plays a fundamental role in treating severely poisoned patients. This retrospective study was carried out on 91 patients with detectable serum methanol levels who underwent HD. Because toxic alcohol levels were not immediately available, the initial diagnosis and treatment was based on clinical history with evidence of toxic alcohol intake, presence of high anion metabolic acidosis and/or end organ damage. Patients received bicarbonate, ethanol, according to clinical features and blood gases. Patients underwent HD in the setting of known methanol ingestion with high anion gap metabolic acidosis, or evidence of end-organ damage, regardless of methanol level. HD prescription included large surface area dialyzer (≥1.5 m2), blood flow rate of 250-350 mL/min and dialysate flow rate of 500 mL/min for 4-6 h. Between 9 and 11 July 2009, 91 males with mean age 40 ± 8.5 years underwent HD, and 13 patients required a second HD session. Patients consumed 100-500 mL illicit liquors, and symptoms appeared six and 60 h later. Clinical features were gastro-intestinal symptoms (83.5%), visual disturbances (60.4%), central nervous system symptoms (59.3%) and dyspnea (43.9%). Before HD, mean pH was 7.11 ± 0.04 (range 6.70- 7.33) and mean bicarbonate levels were 8.5 ± 4.9 mmol/L (range 2-18). Three patients died due to methanol intoxication. Mortality was associated with severe metabolic acidosis (pH ≤ 6.90), ventilator requirement and coma/seizure on admission (P < 0.001). Timely HD, bicarbonate, ethanol and supportive therapy can be life-saving in methanol intoxication.

Severe and complicated malaria is usually caused by Plasmodium falciparum malaria (PF) but it has been increasingly observed that Plasmodium vivax malaria (PV), which was otherwise considered to be benign malaria, with a low case-fatality ratio, can also occasionally result in severe disease as with PF malaria. There is an urgent need to re-examine the clinical spectrum and burden of PV so that adequate control measures can be implemented against this emerging but neglected disease. We report a case of severe PV malaria with multi-organ dysfunction. Patients exhibited acute kidney injury, severe anemia/thrombocytopenia, jaundice, hypoglycemia, hyponatremia, and pulmonary edema. Peripheral blood microscopy by trained and expert pathologist and rapid diagnostic test showed the presence of PV and absence of PF. The patient recovered completely with anti-malarial drugs, supportive measures, and hemodialysis.Recent microrheologic research that analyzed malaria severity in PV clearly demonstrated enhanced aggregation, erythrocyte clumping, and reduced deformability affecting microcirculation. Our case report highlights the fact that PV malaria is benign by name but not always by nature. PV can lead to unusual and potentially life-threatening complications. Further large-scale multi-centric studies are needed to define this less known entity.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is the commonest cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide. Renal transplantation (RTx) is the best therapeutic modality for such patients. First-degree relatives of patients with type 2 DM have high risk of diabetes/pre-diabetes. Parents are often too old to be suitable donors, and siblings/children/spouse are either not suitable/acceptable or do not come forward for organ donation. This leaves deceased donation (DD) as only suitable donors. Data scarcity on DDRTx outcome in diabetic nephropathy (DN) prompted us to review our experience. This retrospective single-center 10-year study was undertaken to evaluate patient/graft survival, graft function, rejection episodes, and mortality in these patients.Between January 2001 and March 2011, thirty-five DN-ESRD patients underwent DDRTx in our center following cardiac fitness assessment of recipients. All patients received single-dose rabbit-anti-thymocyte globulin for induction and steroids, calcineurin inhibitor, and mycophenolate mofetil/azathioprine for maintenance immunosuppression. Mean recipient age was 49.66 ± 6.76 years, and 25 were men. Mean donor age was 50 ± 16.45 years, 23 were men.Over a mean follow-up of 2.28 ± 2.59 years, patient and graft survival rates were 68.5% and 88.5%, respectively, with mean SCr of 1.9 ± 0.62 mg/dl. Delayed graft function was observed in 34.3% patients, and 25.7% had biopsy-proven acute rejection; 31.5% patients died, mainly because of infections (22.8%), coronary artery disease (2.86%), and cerebrovascular events (5.7%).DDRTx in patients with DN has acceptable graft function and patient/graft survival over 10-year follow-up in our center and, therefore, we believe it should be encouraged.

Renal transplantation (RTx) has become the treatment of choice for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), the most common genetic kidney disease. Because of the inheritable nature of this disease, live related donors might be avoided due to the fear of future appearance of polycystic disease. This retrospective singlecenter study was undertaken to evaluate patient/graft survival function vis-a-vis serum creatinine (SCr), rejection episodes and mortality in ADPKD vs matched control patients. Between 2000 and 2009, 18 (7.4%) deceased donor renal transplant (DDRTx) were performed for ESRD due to ADPKD. Diagnosis of ADPKD was established by family history and ultrasound. An individualized approach was applied for the need of pre-transplant nephrectomy. All recipients received rabbit-anti-thymocyte globulin induction and maintenance triple immunosuppression. Delayed graft function was observed in 33% patients, and 16% had biopsy-proven acute rejection. Over mean follow-up of 4.67 ± 2.2 years, patient and graft survival rates were 72.22% and 83.33%, with mean SCr (mg/dL) of 1.44 ± 0.54, 1.78 ± 0.42 and 2.2 ± 0.6 at 1, 5 and 10 years. Overall, 44.4% (n-8) underwent pre-transplant nephrectomy. Infection and cardio/cerebrovascular events were the main causes of death. Patient, graft survival and acute rejection were similar between ADPKD and control group. DDRTx in ADPKD has acceptable patient and graft survival. Because of the inheritable nature of the disease, and unavailability of genetic linkage analysis as a routine, DDRTx is a viable option to avoid using unrelated donors.

Renal transplantation (RTx) is the best therapeutic modality for patient suffering from end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Deceased donor organ transplantation (DDOT) accounts for

Highly sensitized patients are destined to remain untransplanted for long. Early transplantation results in cost-saving, reduced morbidity/mortality and improved quality of life. We carried out a prospective study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of desensitization protocol vis-à-vis patient/graft survival in living donor renal transplantation in highly sensitized patients. Between December 2008 and April 2010, 34 renal transplant (RTx) patients underwent desensitization protocol. An anti-human globulin-enhanced lymphocytotoxicity crossmatch assay (AHG-CDC) ≥25% and T-cell median channel shift (MCS) >50, B-cell MCS >100 [flow crossmatch (FXM)] were considered crossmatch (XM) positive. All patients were administered bortezomib (1.3 mg/m 2 , days 1, 4, 8, 11), plasmapheresis, rabbit-anti-thymocyte globulin (r-ATG), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg). LCXM and FXM were repeated post-protocol. In the event of persistent sensitization, additional bortezomib cycle was repeated along with plasmapheresis, IVIg, calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) and rituximab. If the cross match (CMX) was negative or acceptable, patients underwent RTx. Post-transplant immunosuppression consisted of prednisone, CNI and MMF. Biopsy was performed in the event of graft dysfunction and treated accordingly. There were 18 males and 16 females, with a mean age of 37.4 years. Mean dialysis duration was 14.9 ± 17.6 months. Average third party transfusions were 6.2 ± 4.5, 17.6% had autoimmune diseases, 20.6% were multi-para. Pre-protocol AHGXM was 55.3 ± 24.5%, T-cell crossmatch (TCXM) was 122.4 ± 91.4 MCS and B-cell crossmatch (BCXM) was 279 ± 142.9 MCS. Totally, 85.3% responded within 1 month with reduction in AHG-CDC to 19.9 ± 5.2%, TCXM to 24.7 ± 19.4 MCS and BCXM to 74.7 ± 34.8 MCS. Side effects noted in 38.2% were manageable. Over follow-up of 0.92 ± 0.8 years, patient/graft survival was 100%/88.2% and mean serum creatinine was 1.27 ± 0.32 mg/dL. Acute rejections were noted in 24.1%, who responded to steroids + rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG). Five (14.7%) patients were transplanted after changing donors. Our desensitization protocol seems to be safe and effective. Bortezomib may offer new possibilities in desensitization protocols.

Respiratory complications and renal failure are the leading causes for morbidity and mortality due to influenza (H1N1) virus infection. There has been limited information on histopathology of H1N1 influenza-related acute kidney injury (AKI). We describe AKI with H1N1 infection in a 52-year-old female. Renal biopsy showed mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with acute tubule interstitial nephritis. Her condition improved rapidly with oseltamivir, fluid replacement, steroid and dialysis. Our case suggests that H1N1 infection may have a causative link to the development of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with acute tubulointerstitial nephritis.

Providing transplantation opportunities for patients with incompatible live donors through kidney paired donation (KPD) is an important strategy for easing the crisis in organ availability. KPD is can overcome the barriers when the only living potential donors are deemed unsuitable owing to an incompatibility of blood type, of human leukocyte antigen cross-match, or both. In KPD, the incompatibility problems with two donor recipient pairs can be solved by exchanging donors. In the absence of well-organized deceased donor program, or transplantation with desensitization protocol and ABO incompatible transplantation, living donor KPD promises hope to the growing number of patients suffering from end-stage renal disease in India. We report our first successful three-way KPD transplantation from India. In an era of organ shortage, this approach is relevant to encourage wider participation from KPD donors and transplant centers to prevent commercial transplantation.

The outcome of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is difficult to predict. This study assessed the outcome of CKD patients admitted to the ICU and evaluated prediction of 30-day mortality using the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II), Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II), and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. One hundred consecutive CKD patients admitted to the ICU at a tertiary care hospital, Ahmedabad between 2011 and 2013 were included prospectively. Data on demographics, indication for admission, cause of CKD, use of vasoactive drugs and mechanical ventilation (MV), mode of renal replacement therapy (RRT), and 30-day mortality were recorded. The APACHE II, SAPS II, and SOFA scores were calculated based on the admission characteristics. The mean APACHE II, SAPS II, and SOFA scores were 28.22 ± 7.53, 43.04 ± 16.40, and 10.39 ± 5.20, respectively, and area under receiver operating characteristics curve in predicting 30-day mortality were 0.961, 0.994, and 0.950, respectively. The scores were significantly higher in 30-day nonsurvivors as compared to survivors (P = 0.001). During the ICU stay, MV and vasoactive drugs were required in 57% and 67% of the patients, respectively, and the requirement was significantly greater in nonsurvivors as compared to survivors (P = 0.001). About 85% of patients were on intermittent hemodialysis and 15% of patients were on continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration. Sepsis was the main reason for hospital admission, and the mean length of stay in the ICU was 7.74 ± 5.34 days. The study indicates that all three scores (APACHE II, SAPS II, and SOFA) perform equally well and have equal diagnostic utility in predicting 30-day mortality.

Introduction: The kidneys are involved in significant number of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who can present with acute or chronic renal failure, nephritic syndrome, non-nephrotic proteinuria or tubular function defects. Objectives: To assess the clinical profile of kidney involvement preceding diagnosis of multiple myeloma Patients and Methods: Renal involvement in 29 cases with MM admitted over an 18-month period to our tertiary care center was retrospectively examined. Diagnosis of MM was confirmed by two or more of the following four features: lytic bone lesions, serum or urine monoclonal peak, Bence-Jones proteinuria, and greater than 20% plasma cells in bone marrow. Results: Renal disease was present in all patients before MM was diagnosed. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was the most common precipitating factor for acute kidney injury (AKI). All 29 patients received combination chemotherapy of bortezomib, dexamethasone and thalidomide. More than half of the total number of patients did not complete chemotherapy because of death or lost to follow-up. Twenty-two of 29 patients required hemodialysis support. AKI was the most common renal presentation of MM. Four patients with AKI had complete renal recovery. Eleven patients who required hemodialysis support initially later on recovered to non-dialyzable range of renal failure. Seven patients became hemodialysis dependent. Twelve patients died from infection, uremia or hyperkalemia. Nine patients lost to follow up. Remission of MM was seen in 8 patients who completed chemotherapy. Conclusion: In our study AKI is the most common renal presentation preceding the diagnosis of MM. Reversal of renal function was achieved with chemotherapy and high flux hemodialysis in few cases.

When a desensitization protocol is unsuccessful, a look-back into kidney paired donation (KPD) pool may facilitate transplantation. A 53-year male developed end stage renal disease (ESRD) due to chronic glomerulonephritis. His immunological profile remained unacceptable for transplantation with wife as potential donor even after desensitization protocol. Lymphocytotoxicity crossmatch, flow crossmatch and donor specific antibodies [DSA] were favorable for transplantation with rescue swap donor. Two-way KPD exchange was performed with steroid and rabbit anti-thymoglobulin induction under triple immunosuppressive regimen. Both recipients were discharged with stable allograft function. This case suggests that in case of an unsuccessful attempt at desensitization, rescue KPD can be used for salvaging failed desensitization treatment and increase the transplantation rate.

We report a case of lead nephropathy due to Sindoor treated successfully with steroid, hemodialysis and chelating agent. Diagnosis of lead nephropathy was confirmed by identification of potential sources of lead exposure (Sindoor, 5-10 gm per year for 11 years) indicated by high blood lead level, 95 µg/dL and presence of extrarenal features of lead poisoning (hypertension, anemia, lead line, hyperuricemia). A search for the underlying systemic causes of renal failure yielded no results. A kidney biopsy showed acute or chronic tubule-interstitial nephritis with mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis with no immune deposit on immunofluorescence consistent with lead nephropathy. He was discharged in good health after psychiatric consultation and continued with oral D-Penicillamine with normal renal function tests and urine output. This case identifies Sindoor as a potential lead exposure among Indians and clinicians should be aware of this risk factor and enquire about it when searching a source of lead exposure in high-risk population.

Acute iron poisoning is a common and potentially serious problem in the pediatric population. Early recognition and treatment is crucial for a better outcome and to prevent morbidity and mortality. An 18-year-old female, who had accidental ingestion of 50 tablets of ferrous sulfate (100 mg of elemental iron per 335 mg tablet), 100 mg/kg of elemental iron, developed acute gastrointestinal and neurologic signs of toxicity and severe anion gap metabolic acidosis. The patient had received gastrointestinal decontamination, deferoxamine (DFO) infusion, and hemodialysis (HD) resulting in a decrease in serum iron concentration from 2150 to 160 mcg/dL at 24-h post-ingestion and improved mental status. Our cases demonstrate that HD may assist in decreasing serum iron concentration and improving clinical status in patients with massive overdose and life-threatening toxicity.

First Report of the Indian Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Registry showed that patient with CKD in India more frequently presented in Stage V. Many patients have uncontrolled hypertension and uremia due to noncompliance or non affordability of renal replacement therapy which can lead to complications such as posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). A 17-year-old female had end stage renal disease (ESRD) due to malignant hypertension. She developed headaches, altered consciousness, visual disturbances and seizures. A non contrast brain computed tomography revealed bilateral symmetrical white matter hypodensity in parietal, temporal, and occipital region suggesting PRES. Intravenous lorazepam was given for acute control of seizure and she required phenytoin, valproic acid, levetiracetam to control seizures. She was started on more frequent hemodialysis. She required five types of antihypertensive drugs to control blood pressure. We report successful renal transplantation (RTx) in a CKD patient with PRES. Constraints in operating an effective maintenance dialysis program leave RTx as the only viable option for ESRD patients in our country to prevent complications like PRES associated with uremia and uncontrolled hypertension.

Plasmodium vivax is causing increasingly more cases of severe malaria worldwide. We reported a case of postrenal transplantation acute kidney injury (AKI) associated with P. vivax, a neglected human malaria parasite. The diagnosis of P. vivax monoinfection was confirmed by direct visualization of the parasite in blood smear and rapid diagnostic test. On admission, serum creatinine (SCr.) increased from 1.45 to 3.7 mg/dl. The other etiologies of fever and AKI were ruled out. He responded to prompt therapy with antimalarial drugs. There was no change in tacrolimus trough level before and after antimalarial drugs. Two weeks after discharge, his SCr. was 1.43 mg/dl. Our patient lived in an endemic malarial area and the transplant took place in December 2010. The patient subsequently presented with clinical malaria in June 2012, so we thought that posttransplantation transmission by the mosquito was a possibility and very less likely that other dormant form of the parasite had been the source of the clinical infection. P. vivax can lead to as AKI in renal transplant recipient. P. vivax should be considered in the differential diagnosis of fever in transplant recipients who had received organs or blood products from malaria-endemic area to facilitate a prompt diagnosis and adequate treatment.

A 42-year-old end stage renal disease (ESRD) patient was admitted with fever, anorexia, malaise, non-productive cough, and dyspnea, of one-week duration. Multiple cultures of the blood, sputum, and urine were negative for microorganisms. The possibility of bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia (BOOP) was considered when patient with pulmonary infiltrate did not respond to conventional antibiotic therapy and frequent hemodyalisis. High-resolution computed tomography of the chest revealed patchy air-space consolidation, ground-glass opacities, and small nodular opacities, predominantly located at the peripheral part of the lungs. Cultures and stains of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimen and bronchoscopic biopsy of lung tissue were negative for organisms [bacteria, mycobacterium tuberculosis, PCP, fungus, and atypical organism] and showed evidence of BOOP. Patient recovered completely with early diagnosis and treatment with steroids and underwent successful renal transplantation with wife as donor without postoperative complication and relapse.

Background Anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) nephritis post–renal transplantation (RTx) is known to cause graft loss in Alport's syndrome (AS). We evaluated the results of RTx in AS patients vis a vis patient and graft survivals, incidence of anti-GBM nephritis, and causes of graft failure. Materials and methods Between 1993 and 2009 we performed 31 RTx on AS patients (28 males and three females) of overall mean age of 22 ± 7.9 years from six deceased and 27 living donors. Two patients underwent second RTx. Results Over a follow-up of 1, 3, 5, and 10 years, the mean serum creatinines (mg/dL) were 1.51 ± 0.52, 1.59 ± 0.26, 1.61 ± 0.30, and 1.63 ± 0.32, respectively. Patient survivals at 1, 5, and 10 years were 89.71%, 81.32% and 81.32% with graft survival for all periods of 81.2%. Twenty-one percent experienced biopsy-proven acute rejection episodes. Graft failures were due to anti-GBM nephritis in 12.2% ( n = 4), chronic allograft nephropathy in 3.2% ( n = 1), and acute rejection or cyclosporine toxicity 3.2% ( n = 1 each). The mean duration to graft loss was 4.9 ± 2.4 months. Conclusion Graft and patient survivals were acceptable among transplant recipients with AS despite the risk of anti-GBM nephritis.

We report a case of diabetic end-stage renal disease patient who presented with a right common carotid artery jugular arteriovenous fistula as a complication of the insertion of a polyurethane double-lumen hemodialysis catheter into the right internal jugular vein .On physical examination of the neck, a pulsating mass with a palpable thrill and a bruit was noted in the right subclavicular region. The diagnosis was confirmed by color doppler ultrasonography of the neck and carotid angiography. The review of the literature suggests the occurrence of this complication as rather rare. The fistula was successfully repaired surgically. It is emphasized that while securing the access, a thorough physical examination with a special emphasis on seeking any neck swellings, thrill, and bruit along with routine use of vascular doppler for securing dialysis access is recommended.

Treatment of patients with amlodipine overdose remains challenging. We describe a case of successful treatment of refractory hypotension, noncardiogenic pulmonary edema and acute kidney injury after an intoxication with 250 mg of amlodipine. Marked improvement in all hemodynamic parameters was noted with combination of fluids, inotropes, low-dose calcium, low dose insulin, mechanical ventilation and hemodialysis. All available information on overdose of amlodipine is limited to case reports and series. Prospective trial on the use of these agents is required to define its role as the first-line treatment in amlodipine, a calcium channel blockers overdose.

We report a case of end stage renal disease patient who displayed a persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) after placement of hemodialysis (HD) catheter through left internal jugular vein, as revealed by routine post-procedure X-ray chest. The diagnosis of PLSVC was confirmed by arterial blood gas, two-dimensional echocardiography, computed tomography thorax and angiographic examination. This anomaly is rather rare; few studies on safety of PLSVC for HD have been reported. The catheter was uneventfully used for HD for 2 months with careful continuous monitoring and removed after arteriovenous fistula was successfully cannulated. Physicians who place HD catheters in the left jugular/subclavian vein should be aware of the existence of PLSVC.

Stem cell therapy (SCT) is used for immunosuppression minimization in renal transplantation (RT). We carried out a prospective study to evaluate the benefits of co-infusion of donor adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSC) + hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in living donor RT (LDRT) under non-myeloablative conditioning.In a demographically balanced three-armed LDRT trial with 95 patients in each arm, group-1 received portal co-infusion of AD-MSC + HSC, group-2 received HSC and group-3 received no SCT. Lymphoid irradiation and anti-thyroglobulin were used for conditioning.SCT was safe. At 1 and 5 years post-transplant, patient survival was 100% and 94.7% in group-1, 100% and 95.7% in group-2, and 94.7% and 84% in group-3, death-censored graft survival was 100% and 94.6% in group-1, 100% and 91.3% in group-2, and 98.9% and 94.4% in group-3 with mean serum creatinine (mg/dL) of 1.38 and 1.39 in group-1, 1.48 and 1.51 in group-2, and 1.29 and 1.42 and in group-3. Rejection episodes and immunosuppression requirement were lesser in SCT groups versus controls with best results noted in group-1.Coinfusion of donor AD-MSC +HSC in portal circulation pre-transplant under non-myeloablative conditioning is safe and effective for immunosuppression minimization in LDRT.

To evaluate whether the outcomes of renal grafts from living related donors older than 60 years are acceptable, in terms of renal function and patient/graft survival.One hundred and forty-seven patients who received kidneys from donor age ≥60 years constituted the study group (group 1). The control group (group 2) consisted of 1310 patients who received renal transplants from donor age60 years. Outcome measures included graft, patient survival, acute rejection rate and serum creatinine (SCr) in patients/donors. Graft and patient survivals were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method.The mean age of donors was 62.7 ± 3.39 years in group 1 and 43.45 ± 9.65 years in group 2. Patient survival at 1, 3 and 5 years was 95.7%, 89.4% and 82.6% in group 1 and 93.8%, 89.1% and 83.1% in group 2 (p = 0.785), respectively. Death-censored graft survival at 1, 3 and 5 years was 98.5%, 94.8% and 94.8% in group 1 and 96.1%, 92.9% and 89% in group 2 (p = 0.166), respectively. Biopsy-proven acute rejections were 21% and 16.8% (p = 0.206) and chronic rejections 5% and 3.4% in group 1 and 2, respectively (p = 0.542). Recipient SCr (mg/dL) was 1.8 ± 0.31 in group 1 and 1.58 ± 0.37 in group 2. The donor SCr levels at the last follow-up were 1 mg/dL and 0.9 mg/dL in group 1 and 2, respectively.Donor age did not affect patient and graft survival in the 5-year follow-up in our study. Age alone seems not to be an exclusion criterion to living kidney donation.

Chronic heart failure (CHF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are serious medical conditions with significant morbidity and mortality and often coexist. Because of perioperative risks in these patients, they may not be considered a candidate for renal transplantation (RTx).We compare retrospectively RTx outcomes [graft/patient survival, rejection rates and adverse cardiac events] in study group [low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 45% by echocardiogram, n = 63] and control group [normal LVEF ≥ 50%, n = 537] from a developing country.The mean EF was 35 ± 5.6 and 57 ± 3% for the study and control groups, respectively (p0.001). Majority of these patients (98%) showed normalization of LVEF post-transplant. The median EF was 60% at 1-3 months post-transplant. No difference was noted in graft survival, patient survival, rejection rates, serum creatinine and adverse cardiac events of study group at 1.3-year mean follow-up compared to control group. Outcome was not adversely affected by preexisting LV dysfunction. The study and control groups had nearly similar percent of patients with established CAD but significantly more hospitalization for CHF pre RTx in the study group compared with the control group.RTx may play a role in reversing LV systolic dysfunction. Once thought by many to be a contraindication for renal transplantation, this appears not to be the case. The outcomes between the 2 groups are comparable and transplant is an option for even low EF patients.