Steroids Do Not Stop Post-Transplant ARF

Administering corticosteroids to deceased, heart-beating kidney donors at least three hours before organ harvesting to reduce inflammation does not reduce the incidence or duration of post-transplantation acute renal failure (ARF) in transplant recipients, according to a report in Annals of Internal Medicine (2010;153:222-230).

Among 306 such donors and 455 renal-transplant recipients, 22% of recipients of steroid-treated donors and 25% of recipients of placebo-treated donors experienced ARF (the need for more than one dialysis session in the first week post-transplantation).

The median duration of ARF was five days and four days in the steroid and placebo arms, respectively.

From the October 01, 2010 Issue of Renal and Urology News