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Background Overseas kidney transplantation is known to be associated with adverse outcomes. In this study, we aim to present a detailed analysis of our three years of experience with overseas kidney transplantation at one of the largest kidney transplant referral sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods A retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent kidney transplantation overseas and were subsequently followed up at King Abdulaziz Medical City from January 2016 to July 31, 2019. In addition, we compared the outcomes of the patients who underwent kidney transplantation overseas with a cohort of patients who were transplanted locally within the same period. Patients in both cohorts had to have at least one year of follow-up post-transplantation. Results We included a total of 51 patients who underwent kidney transplantation overseas. The mean age of the cohort was 44.7 years, and 69% were male. Almost 60% of the cohort had one or no comorbidity prior to transplant, with hypertension (84%) and diabetes mellitus (37%) being the leading comorbidities. The cause of end-stage kidney disease was unknown in 55% of our patients. In those who had an identifiable cause, lupus nephropathy and diabetes were the most common causes of kidney failure. In comparison with the locally transplanted cohort, no difference was detected between these groups in their baseline characteristics, type or number of comorbidities, medical or surgical complications postoperatively, and one-year mortality. However, we found that the graft rejection rate was significantly higher in patients transplanted overseas (OR=5.4, p0.001). In addition, the proportion of patients who received anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) induction was also less in the group with overseas kidney transplantation (58% vs. 22%, p0.001). Conclusion Overseas transplantation is associated with an increased risk for graft rejection. Our study suggests that overseas kidney transplantation is possibly driven by a lack of donors, especially cadaveric. Counseling patients about risks associated with overseas kidney transplantation and encouraging the public to register for organ donation after death may help curb out this practice.

Background Patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) are disproportionately vulnerable to COVID-19 and its complications due to the older age and significant burden of comorbid conditions. Data about the impact of COVID-19 on the ESKD population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is scarce, and this study aims to bridge this gap. Method This is a retrospective cohort study that included ESKD patients who were receiving either in-center hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) for at least three months and were hospitalized due to COVID-19 at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh (KAMC) between March 2020 and March 2021. Of note, the in-center hemodialysis means that the patients come to the dialysis center three times per week to receive their dialysis sessions, as home hemodialysis is not available at our center. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to explore the association of clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters with ICU admission and mortality. Results A total of 104 patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 62.6 (SD=17.4) years, 101 (97%) were on HD, predominantly through a central venous catheter (72%), and 53 patients (51%) were male. Patients with COVID-19 were either asymptomatic (42%) or had mild symptoms (37%), mainly cough and fever. At the time of admission, 37 patients (36%) had extrapulmonary symptoms, and 13 patients (12%) had altered mental status. Normal chest X-ray (48%), followed by bilateral lung infiltrates (24%), and unilateral lung infiltrate (11%) were the most common radiological findings. We did not observe any thromboembolic events. Twenty patients (19%) required ICU admission and 19 patients (18%) died during hospitalization. Predictors for in-hospital mortality were: 1) the need for inotropes (adjusted OR: 53.01, p=0.006), 2) age (adjusted OR: 1.07, p=0.019), and 3) C-reactive protein (CRP) level on admission (adjusted OR: 1.02, p=0.04). We did not find any strong predictor for ICU admission. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that COVID-19 carries significant mortality and morbidity in the ESKD population. Age, inotropic support requirement and elevated CRP on admission predicted mortality in our population. The high rate of adverse outcomes of COVID-19 among ESRD patients calls for strict implementation of preventive measures, including vaccination, social distancing, and universal masking at the level of both the healthcare providers and patients. Further studies are needed to assess the association of COVID-19 and hypercoagulability ESKD population.

Data on outcomes of renal transplantation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is limited. We describe renal transplant experience in one of the largest referral centers for renal transplants in KSA.This is a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent kidney transplantation at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) from January 2016 to July 31, 2019, with at least one year of follow-up post-transplantation.One hundred ninety-four individuals were identified and included in the analysis. The mean age of the renal transplant cohort was 45 years with an average pre-transplant body mass index of 26.1 kg/mOur study demonstrated a successful renal transplant experience among a relatively healthy cohort and identifies potential gaps, particularly the high rate of central venous catheters, the frequent lack of clear etiology of ESKD, the low rate of pre-emptive transplant, and deceased donors. Further studies are needed to evaluate and close these gaps.

BACKGROUND Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) were developed as alternatives to vitamin K antagonists, primarily warfarin, as they do not require routine monitoring and have limited drug-drug and drug-food interactions. However, the efficacy and safety of these agents in kidney transplantation are not well studied. AIM To assess the profile and safety of NOACs for patients who had kidney transplantation, and to provide recommendations and guidelines on therapeutic strategies in these patients. METHODS This was a retrospective study carried out among adult patients who were actively on the following NOACs (apixaban, rivaroxaban or dabigatran) in our renal transplantation program from December 2015 to December 2016. The patients were identified primarily through electronic medical record system (patient data linkage). Data on the clinical and laboratory profile of the patients were retrieved and analyzed with SPSS 22.0. RESULTS Complete data on 42 renal transplant patients were retrieved: 59.5% males, 90.5% were whites and 66.7% were older than 60 years old. The mean duration since renal transplantation of the patients was 8.8 ± 7.4 years. The most common risk factors for the development of end-stage renal disease in the subjects were hypertension (19.0%), polycystic kidney disease (19.0%), followed by diabetic nephropathy (16.7%) and chronic glomerulonephritis (16.7%). The main indications for NOACs use in the cohort were atrial fibrillation in 25 patients (59.5%) and venous thromboembolism in 10 patients (23.8%). Overall, 29 patients (69%) were treated with apixaban, 10 patients (23.8%) with rivaroxaban and 3 patients (7.14%) with dabigatran. No (0%) thromboembolic events were observed during the one-year period, but 3 (7.1%) bleeding events occurred in the cohort consisting of 1 patient treated with rivaroxaban 15 mg daily and 2 patients who received apixaban 2.5 mg twice daily. There were no significant changes in serum tacrolimus level three days after the initiation of NOACs among patients treated with tacrolimus (pre- and post-NOACs tacrolimus levels were 7.2516 and 7.8867 ng/mL, P = 0.55, respectively). Also, after one-year of treatment with NOACs there were no significant changes in the pre- and post-NOACs serum creatinine level (P = 0.772) and estimated glomerular filtration rates (P = 0.232). CONCLUSION No thromboembolic events or significant changes in renal profile were observed in our cohort of kidney transplant recipients who were treated with NOACs for at least a year. However, a few bleeding events were observed. This calls for further well-planned randomized controlled trials to assess the efficacy and safety of NOACs among renal transplant recipients.

Purpose. To evaluate the impact of early (3 weeks) urinary stent removal on urinary tract infections (UTIs) post renal transplantation. Methods. A retrospective study was performed including all adult renal transplants who were transplanted between January 2017 and May 2020 with a minimum of 6-month follow-up at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Results. A total of 279 kidney recipients included in the study were stratified into 114 in the early stent removal group (ESR) and 165 in the late stent removal group (LSR). Mean age was 43.4 ± 15.8; women: n: 114, 40.90%; and deceased donor transplant: n: 55, 19.70%. Mean stent removal time was 35.3 ± 28.0 days posttransplant (14.1 ± 4.6 days in the ESR versus 49.9 ± 28.1 days in LSR, p < 0.001 ). Seventy-four UTIs were diagnosed while the stents were in vivo or up to two weeks after the stent removal “UTIs related to the stent” (n = 20, 17.5% in ESR versus n = 54, 32.7% in LSR; p = 0.006 ). By six months after transplantation, there were 97 UTIs (n = 36, 31.6% UTIs in ESR versus n = 61, 37% in LSR; p = 0.373 ). Compared with UTIs diagnosed after stent removal, UTIs diagnosed while the stent was still in vivo tended to be complicated (17.9% versus 4.9%, p : 0.019), recurrent (66.1% versus 46.3%; p : 0.063), associated with bacteremia (10.7% versus 0%; p : 0.019), and requiring hospitalization (61% versus 24%, p : 0.024). Early stent removal decreased the need for expedited stent removal due to UTI reasons (rate of UTIs before stent removal) (n = 11, 9% in the early group versus n = 45, 27% in the late group; p = 0.001 ). The effect on the rate of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) was less clear (33% versus 47%, p : 0.205). Early stent removal was associated with a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of UTIs related to the stent (HR = 0.505, 95% CI: 0.302-0.844, p = 0.009 ) without increasing the incidence of urological complications. Removing the stent before 21 days posttransplantation decreased UTIs related to stent (aOR: 0.403, CI: 0.218-0.744). Removing the stent before 14 days may even further decrease the risk of UTIs (aOR: 0.311, CI: 0.035- 2.726). Conclusion. Early ureteric stent removal defined as less than 21 days post renal transplantation reduced the incidence of UTIs related to stent without increasing the incidence of urological complications. UTIs occurring while the ureteric stent still in vivo were notably associated with bacteremia and hospitalization. A randomized trial will be required to further determine the best timing for stent removal.

Purpose. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in the first 6 months after renal transplantation, and there are only limited data about UTIs after transplantation in Saudi Arabia in general. Methods. A retrospective study from January 2017 to May 2020 with 6-month follow-up. Results. 279 renal transplant recipients were included. Mean age was 43.4 ± 16.0 years, and114 (40.9%) were women. Urinary stents were inserted routinely during transplantation and were removed 35.3 ± 28 days postoperatively. Ninety-seven patients (35%) developed urinary tract infections (UTIs) in the first six months after renal transplantation. Of those who developed the first episode of UTI, the recurrence rates were 57%, 27%, and 14% for having one, two, or three recurrences, respectively. Late urinary stent removals, defined as more than 21 days postoperatively, tended to have more UTIs (OR: 1.43, P: 0.259, CI: 0.76–2.66). Age >40, female gender, history of neurogenic bladder, and transplantation abroad were statistically significant factors associated with UTIs and recurrence. Diabetes, level of immunosuppression, deceased donor renal transplantation, pretransplant residual urine volume, or history of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) was not associated with a higher incidence of UTIs. UTIs were asymptomatic in 60% but complicated with bacteremia in 6% of the cases. Multidrug resistant organisms (MDROs) were the causative organisms in 42% of cases, and in-hospital treatment was required in about 50% of cases. Norfloxacin + Bactrim DD (160/800 mg) every other day was not associated with the lower risk of developing UTIs compared to the standard prophylaxis daily Bactrim SS (80/400 mg). Conclusion. UTIs and recurrence are common in the first 6 months after renal transplantation. Age >40, female gender, neurogenic bladder, and transplantation abroad are associated with the increased risk of UTIs and recurrence. MDROs are common causative organisms, and hospitalization is frequently required. Dual prophylactic antibiotics did not seem to be advantageous over the standard daily Bactrim.