Predicting Long-term Outcomes in Deceased Donor Kidney Transplant Recipients Using Three Short-term Graft Characteristics.

Key Points: Delayed graft function is not an ideal measure of graft function, yet is used to assess risk in kidney transplantation. We propose a model that combines it with two other measures of 90-day graft function to identify recipients at incremental risk of inferior long-term outcomes.

Background: Delayed graft function (DGF) in kidney transplant recipients is used to determine graft prognosis, make organ utilization decisions, and as an important end point in clinical trials.