Blood Pressure Management After Reperfusion in Living-Donor Kidney Transplantation

Background: The central focus of anesthesia management in kidney transplantation is to avoid hypotensive episodes and maintain adequate perfusion pressure to the graft. However, it is not clear whether there is an optimal systolic blood pressure (SBP) level after reperfusion for living-donor transplant outcomes. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of SBP after reperfusion on early graft function in living-donor kidney transplantation. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 315 patients who underwent living-donor kidney transplantation from January 2013 to December 2017. We divided the patients into 4 groups according to SBP after reperfusion and compared the postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate and creatinine. Results: There were no differences in the postoperative recovery of kidney graft function in the first 7 postoperative days among the 4 SBP groups after reperfusion. However, the urine output after reperfusion was significantly less in the group with SBP < 140 mm Hg after reperfusion compared with the remaining 3 groups in a multivariate analysis (P = .04). Conclusions: No significant differences in early graft function were observed among the 4 SBP groups. SBP ≥ 140 mm Hg after reperfusion, which is linked to greater urine output, can be beneficial in terms of long-term graft survival and mortality.