Results of a calcineurin-inhibitor-free immunosuppressive protocol in renal transplant recipients of expanded criteria deceased donors.

Abstract The increasing number of patients on waiting lists and the relatively stable organ procurement rate provide the groundwork for the use of expanded criteria deceased donors. While calcineurin-inhibitors (CNI) are excellent immunosuppressive drugs, their nephrotoxicity is largely responsible for the lack of improvement in long-term graft survival. The objective of this study was to analyze the results obtained with the use of a calcineurin inhibitor-free immunosuppressive protocol (polyclonal antibody induction, plus sirolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and low doses of steroids) in terms of graft and patient survival as well as posttransplant clinical complications over 2 years. Under this immunosuppressive protocol, 78.04% of the patients completed the follow-up. A protocol biopsy was performed on 17 patients (53.1%) within 2 years posttransplant of which 82.31% were diagnosed as chronic allograph nephropathy grade I. The incidence of clinical complications was low and not significantly different from that reported with other immunosuppressive schemes. Death-censored graft survival was 95.12%. In conclusion, the use of a calcineurin inhibitor-free protocol in renal-transplant recipients of expanded criteria deceased donors was associated with excellent graft and patient survival rates and a low incidence of adverse events.