Abstract
One hundred and ninety eight recipients of kidneys transplanted between 1963 and 1972 have survived longer than 3 yr and have followed a minimum of 4 yr. Currently 178 (89.9%) survive; 144 (73.2%) have their original graft. The authors analyzed the cause of death and risk factors of the 20 patients who died 3 or more years after transplantation. Of these 12 died as a result of infection (6 viral; 6 bacterial). In the majority, infection was endogenous or related to operation or a foreign body. Primary exogenous infection was rare. Six deaths were caused by cardiovascular accidents; hypertension may have been a predisposing factor. Suicide and cancer were each responsible for one death. The authors were surprised to find that 15 of the 20 patients had normal renal function (serum creatinine <2mg per 100 ml) at the time of death. The deaths in this group of patients frequently were unexpected because the recipients appeared to be doing well after transplanation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 390-395 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Surgery |
Volume | 80 |
Issue number | 3 |
State | Published - Jan 1 1976 |