Pre-liver Transplant Renal Dysfunction and Association with Post-Transplant End-Stage Renal Disease: A Single-Center Examination of Updated UNOS Recommendations

Simultaneous liver-kidney allocation protocols allocate dual organs based on a sustained eGFR of 30 mL/min or less. A 2017-UNOS update includes CKD3 as dual organ candidates but only when the listing eGFR is <30 mL/min while recommending a "safety net" for prioritized kidney listing post-LT. We retrospectively reviewed adult LTs examine whether the UNOS proposal captured the LT population at highest risk for developing post-LT ESRD. Among 290 LT recipients, 67 had pre-LT CKD3, 141 had AKI, of whom 47 required dialysis (<4 weeks). During follow-up, 25 (8.62%) developed ESRD, while 70 (24.1%) died. In adjusted Cox models, CKD3 had an independent association with post-LT ESRD (adjusted HR 4.8; P = 0.001), independent of AKI. Interestingly, CKD3 with listing GFR >30 mL/min was still significantly associated with post-LT ESRD. AKI was associated with reduced post-LT survival (adjusted HR 1.9; P = 0.02), albeit only in the first-year post-LT. Severe AKI-D was associated with post-LT ESRD and mortality. The safety net would have captured only 60% of all post-LT ESRD cases in our cohort. Pre-LT CKD3 was associated with increased risk of post-LT ESRD above the recommended cutoff for listing GFR. These findings, if generalizable in larger cohorts have important implications for dual organ allocation.