Impact of early surgical complications on kidney transplant outcomes

Abstract Background Kidney transplantation (KT) improves clinical outcomes of patients with end stage renal disease. Little has been reported on the impact of early post-operative surgical complications (SC) on long-term clinical outcomes following KT. We sought to determine the impact of vascular complications, urological complications, surgical site complications, and peri-graft collections within 30 days of transplantation on patient survival, graft function, and hospital readmissions. Methods We conducted a single-centre, observational cohort study examining adult patients (≥ 18 years) who received a kidney transplant from living and deceased donors between January 1st, 2005 and December 31st, 2015 with follow-up until December 31 st , 2016 ( n = 1,334). Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed with Cox proportional hazards models to analyze the outcomes of SC in the early post-operative period after KT. Results The cumulative probability of SC within 30 days of transplant was 25%, the most common SC being peri-graft collections (66.8%). Multivariable analyses showed significant relationships between Clavien Grade 1 SC and death with graft function (HR 1.78 95% CI: 1.11, 2.86), and between Clavien Grades 3 to 4 and hospital readmissions (HR 1.95 95% CI: 1.37, 2.77). Conclusions Early SC following KT are common and have a significant influence on long-term patient outcomes.