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Kidney retrieval after sudden out of hospital refractory cardiac arrest: a cohort of uncontrolled non heart beating donors

Fabienne Fieux1, Marie-Reine Losser1, Eric Bourgeois1, Francine Bonnet1, Olivier Marie1, François Gaudez2, Imad Abboud3, Jean-Luc Donay4, France Roussin5, François Mourey5, Frédéric Adnet6 and Laurent Jacob1*

Author Affiliations

1 Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Paris-7 Diderot,1 Avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75010 Paris, France

2 Department of Urology, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Paris-7 Diderot,1 Avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75010 Paris, France

3 Department of Nephrology, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Paris-7 Diderot,1 Avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75010 Paris, France

4 Department of Microbiology, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Paris-7 Diderot,1 Avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75010 Paris, France

5 Organ Transplant Coordination Team, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Paris-7 Diderot,1 Avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75010 Paris, France

6 Department Samu 93, Hôpital Avicenne, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Paris-13, 125, rue de Stalingrad, 93000 Bobigny, France

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Critical Care 2009, 13:R141 doi:10.1186/cc8022

Published: 28 August 2009

Abstract

Introduction

To counter the shortage of kidney grafts in France, a non heart beating donor (NHBD) program has recently been implemented. The aim of this study was to describe this pilot program for kidney retrieval from "uncontrolled" NHBD meaning those for whom attempts of resuscitation after a witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (CA) have failed (Maastricht 1 and 2), in a centre previously trained for retrieval from brain dead donors.

Methods

A prospective, monocentric, descriptive study concerning NHBD referred to our institution from February 2007 to June 2008. The protocol includes medical transport of refractory CA under mechanical ventilation and external cardiac massage, kidney protection by insertion of an intraaortic double-balloon catheter (DBC) with perfusion of a hypothermic solution, kidney retrieval and kidney preservation in a hypothermic pulsatile perfusion machine.

Results

122 potential NHBD were referred to our institution after a mean resuscitation attempt of 35 minutes (20–95). Regarding the contraindications, 63 were finally accepted and 56 had the DBC inserted. Organ retrieval was performed in 27 patients (43%) and 31 kidneys out of the 54 procured (57%) have been transplanted. Kidney transplantation exclusion was related to family refusal (n = 15), past medical history, time constraints, viral serology, high vascular ex vivo resistance of the graft and macroscopic abnormalities. The 31 kidneys exhibited an expected high delayed graft function rate (92%). Despite these initial results transplanted kidney had good creatinine clearance at six months (66 ± 24 ml/min) with a 89% graft survival rate at six months.

Conclusions

This study shows the feasibility and efficacy of an organ procurement program targeting NHBD allowing a 10% increase in the kidney transplantation rate over 17 months. With a six months follow-up period, the results of transplanted kidney function were excellent.