How to maximize graft survival.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Kidney transplant failure results in significant patient morbidity and mortality, increased financial burden and exacerbates the organ shortage faced by kidney transplant candidates. The different strategies to maximize graft survival in kidney transplant recipients is presented in this review.

RECENT FINDINGS

Maximizing kidney graft survival requires optimizing immunosuppression, preventing and managing recurrent disease and using general chronic kidney disease strategies to slow allograft injury. Herein, we review: 1) strategies to tailor immunosuppression to the individual patient to avoid over and underimmunosuppression, and avoid immunosuppression-related drug toxicities, 2) latest findings in the following recurrent diseases: focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, membranous nephropathy, complement-mediated kidney disease and monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance, and, 3) approaches to slow allograft injury including BP control, and the use of antiproteinuric agents and SGLT-2 inhibitors.

SUMMARY

The last two decades has seen significant improvement in allograft outcomes resulting from advances in immunosuppression. With the federal government's renewed focus on kidney disease and transplantation, and recent advances in biomarkers, genetic testing, big data analytics and machine learning, we hope to see further outcome improvements in the next decade.

Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.