Outcomes after liver transplantation: chronic kidney disease

Abstract

1. Chronic kidney disease is a common complication after liver transplantation and has a major impact on graft and patient survival. 2. Pretransplant renal dysfunction is the most important determinant of posttransplant chronic kidney disease; other factors include the presence of diabetes/hypertension, acute kidney injury pre-transplant and post-transplant, and the use of calcineurin inhibitor-based immunosuppression. 3. The most common cause of end-stage renal disease post-orthotopic liver transplantation is calcineurin inhibitor toxicity, and this emphasizes the need for calcineurin inhibitor minimization protocols post-transplant. 4. The presence of chronic kidney disease post-orthotopic liver transplantation not only is important with respect to the need for renal replacement therapy and kidney transplantation but also increases cardiovascular risk dramatically. 5. The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score is partly driven by creatinine, and it is not uncommon to have an elevated creatinine level in those who have a high Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score and are close to having an organ allocated. Thus, evaluating patients with advanced liver disease and pretransplant acute kidney injury is challenging. It is important to identify pre-liver transplant patients at high risk for early evolution of chronic kidney disease post-transplant in order to appropriately select patients for combined liver/kidney transplantation.