The Kidney Transplant Morbidity Index (KTMI): A Simple Prognostic Tool to Help Determine Outcome Risk in Kidney Transplant Candidates

Background The Kidney Transplant Morbidity Index (KTMI) is a novel prognostic morbidity index to help determine the impact that pretransplant comorbid conditions have on transplant outcome. Objective To use national data to validate the KTMI. Design Retrospective analysis of the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network/United Network for Organ Sharing database. Setting and Participants The study sample consisted of 100 261 adult patients who received a kidney transplant between 2000 and 2008. Main Outcome Measure Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to demonstrate 3-year graft and patient survival for each KTMI score. Cox proportional hazards regression models were created to determine hazards for 3-year graft failure and patient mortality for each KTMI score. Results A sequential decrease in graft survival (0 = 91.2%, 1 = 88.2%, 2 = 85.4%, 3 = 81.7%, 4 = 77.8%, 5 = 74.0%, 6 = 69.8%, and ≥7 = 68.7) and patient survival (0 = 98.2%, 1 = 96.6%, 2 = 93.7%, 3 = 89.7%, 4 = 84.8%, 5 = 80.8%, 6 = 76.0%, and ≥7 = 74.7%) is seen as KTMI scores increase. The differences in graft and patient survival between KTMI scores are all significant (P < .001) except between 6 and ≥7. Multivariate regression analysis reveals that KTMI is an independent predictor of higher graft failure and patient mortality rates and that risk increases as KTMI scores increase. Conclusion The KTMI strongly predicts graft and patient survival by using pretransplant comorbid conditions; therefore, this easy-to-use tool can aid in determining outcome risk and transplant candidacy before listing, particularly in candidates with multiple comorbid conditions.