Acute Renal Failure in Kidney Transplant Recipients

Delayed graft function (DGF) is a form of acute renal failure of kidney transplantation resulting in post-transplant oliguria, increased allograft immunogenicity and risk of acute rejection. Rarely, the graft never functions this leading to primary non-function. Experimental studies have shown that both ischemia and reinstitution of blood flow in ischemically damaged kidneys after hypothermic preservation activate a complex sequence of events that sustain renal injury and play a pivotal role in the development of DGF (1). Quality of donor grafts, organ preservation technique, and choice of early immunosppression are key determinants of DGF that will be discussed herein.