Comparison of graft and patient outcomes following kidney transplantation in extended hour and conventional haemodialysis patients.

Aim: Differences in early graft function between kidney transplant recipients previously managed with either haemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis are well described. However, only two single-centre studies have compared graft and patient outcomes between extended hour and conventional HD patients, with conflicting results.

Methods: This study compared the outcomes of all extended hour (≥24 h/week) and conventional HD patients transplanted in Australia and New Zealand between 2000 and 2014. The primary outcome was delayed graft function (DGF), defined in an ordinal manner as either a spontaneous fall in serum creatinine of less than 10% within 24 h, or the need for dialysis within 72 h following transplantation. Secondary outcomes included the requirement for dialysis within 72 h post-transplant, acute rejection, estimated glomerular filtration rate at 12 months, death-censored graft failure, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, and a composite of graft failure and mortality.

Results: A total of 4935 HD patients (378 extended hour HD, 4557 conventional HD) received a kidney transplant during the study period. Extended hour HD was associated with an increased likelihood of DGF compared with conventional HD (adjusted proportional odds ratio 1.33; 95% confidence interval 1.06-1.67). There was no significant difference between extended hour and conventional HD in terms of any of the secondary outcomes.

Conclusion: Compared to conventional HD, extended hour HD was associated with DGF, although long-term graft and patient outcomes were not different.