EARLY ANURIA PREVENTION IN HUMAN-KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION - ADVANTAGE OF FLUID LOAD UNDER PULMONARY ARTERIAL-PRESSURE MONITORING DURING SURGICAL PERIOD

In human kidney transplantation, a high blood flow established through the graft immediately upon clamp release is usually associated with immediate satisfactory renal function. One hundred consecutive kidney transplant patients were thus provided with a large volume of fluid during surgery. To avoid pulmonary edema, fluid load was given under mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) monitoring, and controlled ventilation was maintained during the early postoperative period. Whether initial PAP value was within normal range or elevated, all patients required an equivalent fluid load to reach the best hemodynamic condition upon clamp removal. The mean intra-operative fluid load consisted of 2406 968 ml of water with 22.8 9.4 g of sodium chloride, 5.9 n; 1.8 units of albumin, and 2.6 1.8 units of packed red blood cells. Immediately before clamp release patients were given furosemide and mannitol. During the postoperative period, i.v. infusions consisted of water and sodium chloride (6 g/liter) to match urine output, provided that diuresis was equal to or above 400 ml/hr. If diuresis remained or decreased below this level, diuresis replacement was associated with PAP-controlled infusion of saline, albumin, and red blood cells if needed. Furosemide was eventually given if diuresis did not increase above 400 ml/hr with fluid loading. With this protocol a good early diuresis was established in 95 of the cases. Ten patients required dialysis before the 5th postoperative day, one of them because of fluid overload and anuria. Concurrently, a decreased mortality rate and an increased graft survival rate were observed.In human kidney transplantation, immediate efficient diuresis avoids the many problems associated with postoperative dialysis and the difficulties encountered for rejection diagnosis in patients with a nonfunctioning kidney. Among the many factors difficult to control which may induce postoperative oliguria are those related to the donors hemodynamic condition, as well as harvesting and preservation management. Conversely, the importance of good hemodynamic conditions in the recipient to get immediate maximum renal function has been suggested in work from several authors Obtaining the patients best cardiac performance through fluid loading upon graft revascularization and during the subsequent hours was the goal of this study. © 1979 by The Williams and Wilkins Co.