The futility of pretransplant coronary bypass grafting in asymptomatic patients on peritoneal dialysis.

Objective: To evaluate the validity of recommending coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in preparation for renal transplantation in asymptomatic peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients with evidence of reversible myocardial ischemia.

Design: Retrospective review in a single PD unit.

Participants: Ten asymptomatic PD patients who underwent CABG to be placed on the transplant list comprised the study group. Ten age-, sex-, and disease-matched PD patients who did not receive CABG were used as a comparison group.

Measurements: Clinical outcome from 1990 to the present.

Results: Only 1 patient in the study group has received a transplant. Seven patients (70%) have died or have been removed from the list because of comorbid illness. Only 2 patients are still on the waiting list.

Conclusion: As a result of the long waiting time for cadaveric renal transplant and the high risk of interim development of comorbid disease, only a minority of patients come to transplantation. The presence of coronary disease is likely a surrogate for more generalized cardiac and vascular disease in this population. In light of these findings, the policy of prophylactic revascularization in asymptomatic dialysis patients in preparation for renal transplantation needs to be reconsidered.