Dataset Information

Refining the Policy for Timing of Kidney Transplant Waitlist Qualification.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Earlier qualification for the kidney transplant waitlist expedites transplant and is therefore associated with improved outcomes. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network policies state that "measured or calculated creatinine clearance or glomerular filtration rate less than or equal to 20 mL/min" triggers waitlist time accrual. The choice of qualification method is somewhat arbitrary, and the policy implies that decline in renal function is monotonic.

Methods

(1) We used survival analysis to quantify temporal differences in waitlist qualification by applying 3 kidney-function-estimating equations (Cockcroft-Gault, Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study, Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration) to serial creatinine measurements from 3 patient cohorts: 1 of waitlisted patients at a major U.S. academic center and 2 national, multicenter cohorts of chronic kidney disease patients (African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension, Modification of Diet in Renal Disease). (2) Survival analysis assessed whether requiring patients to demonstrate persistently reduced renal function on 2 occasions at least 90 days apart would meaningfully change qualification order.

Results

On average, time to waitlist qualification would be delayed on the order of 1 to 2 years by using calculated creatinine clearance (per the Cockcroft-Gault equation). Compared with current policy, requiring demonstration of persistently reduced renal function delayed qualification by 0.6 to 2.1 years and caused 40% to 50% of patients to switch the order in which they qualify by 6 months or more.

Conclusions

The kidney transplantation policies should be revised, such that timing of waitlist qualification is more standardized. We suggest that mention of using calculated creatinine clearance be dropped from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network policy wording and the units to quantify kidney function be changed to mL/min per 1.73 m². Some consideration should be given to whether requiring persistently reduced renal function would better identify patients most likely to benefit from earlier waitlist qualification.

SUBMITTER: Lee BJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5540633 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Refining the Policy for Timing of Kidney Transplant Waitlist Qualification.

Lee Benjamin J BJ McCulloch Charles E CE Grimes Barbara A BA Chandran Sindhu S Allen Isabel Elaine IE Delgado Cynthia C Hsu Chi-Yuan CY

Transplantation direct 20170711 8

<h4>Background</h4>Earlier qualification for the kidney transplant waitlist expedites transplant and is therefore associated with improved outcomes. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network policies state that "measured or calculated creatinine clearance or glomerular filtration rate less than or equal to 20 mL/min" triggers waitlist time accrual. The choice of qualification method is somewhat arbitrary, and the policy implies that decline in renal function is monotonic.<h4>Methods</h4 ...[more]

PMID: 28795146

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Project description:Rationale & objectiveFrailty and poor physical function are associated with adverse kidney transplant outcomes, but how to incorporate this knowledge into clinical practice is uncertain. We studied the association between measured physical performance and clinical outcomes among patients on kidney transplant waitlists.Study designProspective observational cohort study.Setting & participantsWe studied consecutive patients evaluated in our Transplant Readiness Assessment Clinic, a top-of-the-waitlist management program, from May 2017 through December 2018 (N=305). We incorporated physical performance testing, including the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and the sit-to-stand (STS) test, into routine clinical assessments.Exposures6MWT and STS test results.OutcomesThe primary outcome was time to adverse waitlist outcomes (removal from waitlist or death); secondary outcomes were time to transplantation and time to death.Analytical approachWe used linear regression to examine the relationship between clinical characteristics and physical performance test results. We used subdistribution hazards models to examine the association between physical performance test results and outcomes.ResultsMedian 6MWT and STS results were 393 (IQR, 305-455) m and 17 (IQR, 12-21) repetitions, respectively. Clinical characteristics and Estimated Post-Transplant Survival scores accounted for only 14% to 21% of the variance in 6MWT/STS results. Physical performance test results were associated with adverse waitlist outcomes (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio [sHR] of 1.42 [95% CI, 1.30-1.56] per 50-m lower 6MWT test result and 1.53 [95% CI, 1.33-1.75] per 5-repetition lower STS test result) and with transplantation (adjusted sHR of 0.80 [95% CI, 0.72-0.88] per 50-m lower 6MWT test result and 0.80 [95% CI, 0.71-0.89] per 5-repetition lower STS test result). Addition of either STS or 6MWT to survival models containing clinical characteristics enhanced fit (likelihood ratio test P<0.001).LimitationsSingle-center observational study. Other measures of global health status (eg, Fried Frailty Index or Short Physical Performance Battery) were not examined.ConclusionsAmong waitlisted kidney transplant candidates with high kidney allocation scores, standardized and easily performed physical performance test results are associated with waitlist outcomes and contain information beyond what is currently routinely collected in clinical practice.

Project description:Rationale & objectiveIntact cognition is generally a prerequisite for navigating through and completing evaluation for kidney transplantation. Despite kidney transplantation being contraindicated for those with severe dementia, screening for more mild forms of cognitive impairment before referral is rare. Candidates may have unrecognized cognitive impairment, which may prolong evaluation, elevate mortality risk, and hinder access to kidney transplantation. We estimated the burden of cognitive impairment and its association with access to kidney transplantation and waitlist mortality.Study designProspective cohort study.Setting & participants3,630 participants (January 2009 to June 2018) with cognitive function measured (by the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination [3MS]) at kidney transplantation evaluation at 1 of 2 transplantation centers.PredictorsCognitive impairment (3MS score<80).OutcomesListing, waitlist mortality, and kidney transplantation.Analytical approachWe estimated the adjusted chance of listing (Cox regression), risk for waitlist mortality (competing-risks regression), and kidney transplantation rate (Poisson regression) by cognitive impairment. Given potential differences in cause of cognitive impairment among those with and without diabetes, we tested whether these associations differed by diabetes status using a Wald test.ResultsAt evaluation, 6.4% of participants had cognitive impairment, which was independently associated with 25% lower chance of listing (adjusted HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.61-0.91); this association did not differ by diabetes status (Pinteraction=0.07). There was a nominal difference by diabetes status for the association between cognitive impairment and kidney transplantation rate (Pinteraction=0.05), while the association between cognitive impairment and waitlist mortality differed by diabetes status kidney transplantation rates (Pinteraction=0.02). Among candidates without diabetes, those with cognitive impairment were at 2.47 (95% CI, 1.31-4.66) times greater risk for waitlist mortality; cognitive impairment was not associated with this outcome among candidates with diabetes.LimitationsSingle measure of cognitive impairment.ConclusionsCognitive impairment is associated with a lower chance of being placed on the waitlist, and among patients without diabetes, with increased mortality on the waitlist. Future studies should investigate whether implementation of screening for cognitive impairment improves these outcomes.

Dataset Information

Refining the Policy for Timing of Kidney Transplant Waitlist Qualification.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Refining the Policy for Timing of Kidney Transplant Waitlist Qualification.

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