Transfusion, erythropoiesis-stimulating agent therapy, and kidney transplant wait time

Aim: Anemia is highly prevalent among patients wait-listed for renal transplant, and management with blood transfusion or erythropoietin stimulating agents may impact transplant wait time. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of blood transfusion and erythropoiesis stimulating agent therapy on renal transplant wait time. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all adult patients listed for first deceased donor kidney transplantation at two transplant centers in Central Pennsylvania between 2004 and 2008. The exposures of interest were blood transfusion and erythropoietin stimulating agent therapy. Cox proportional hazards were used to model time to deceased donor kidney transplant. Results: Among 407 patients listed for transplant, 84 received a deceased donor kidney during a median follow-up of 26.3 months. In an adjusted Cox proportional hazards model, with erythropoiesis stimulating agent and transfusion both treated as time-dependent exposures, UNOS inactive status at listing date (hazard ratio [HR] 0.81; 95% CI 0.73 - 0.89; P < 0.001) and transfusion during the wait list period (HR 0.27; 95% CI 0.11 - 0.69; P = 0.01) independently predicted longer transplant wait time. Erythropoiesis stimulating agent use prior to or after transplant wait listing date did not independently predict wait time. Conclusion: Blood transfusion while waitlisted for kidney transplant is strongly associated with prolonged wait time.