Simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation in the MELD era

Abstract

Impaired kidney function is common in liver transplant candidates and portends heightened risk for both postoperative chronic kidney disease and mortality. The weighting of serum creatinine in the Model of End-stage Liver Disease classification for liver allocation has been accompanied by a proliferation of simultaneous liver-kidney transplants in recent years. In the absence of standardized criteria for allocating kidneys in this setting, there is a wide variation in combined organ transplants across transplant centers. This review discusses the issues surrounding simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation and proposes a strategy for selecting patients to receive both organs.