Abstract

BACKGROUND: Improvement in the outcome of organ transplantation is related to advances in patient selection criteria, organ preservation, operative techniques, perioperative care and efficacy of immunosuppressive agents. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the effects of higher levels of arterial PaO2 in donors on DGF (delayed graft function). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty patients over 18 years old with stage 4-5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) who received a kidney from living donors were enrolled. They were randomly grouped in to the case (n = 17) and control (n = 23) groups and were followed for 2 weeks after transplantation. Donors were exposed to 60 oxygen for at least 2 hours with a face-mask (venture mask) for 2 consecutive days before transplantation until arterial oxygen pressure increased in arterial blood gas to 200 mmHg. Neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL), Interleuk-18 (IL-18), tumor necrosis factor- alpha (TNF-alpha) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) could be good biomarkers for early diagnosis of kidney injury in renal transplant recipients; we assessed kidney function with these biomarkers. RESULTS: Forty living kidney transplantations including 17 cases and 23 controls were performed; female gender was more prevalent in recipients (n = 16, 40). The mean age of recipients was 36.1 +/- 12.4 (18-67) years old. DGF was detected in 2 (5.95) individuals, from whom one was in the case group and the other one in the control group. In the univariate analysis, there was no significant correlation between age and biomarkers in urine and serum unless for the second serum NGAL (P = 0.02, r = -0.06) and second urine IL 18 (P = 0.03, r = -0.5) which had a negative correlation, and first urine TNF alpha (P = 0.02, r = 0.7) which had a positive correlation. CONCLUSIONS: Oxygen therapy in the case group had no significant impact on protection from DGF.