Cardiovascular Events After Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney Transplantation

Abstract Objective To retrospectively evaluate the incidence of cardiovascular events after functioning simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT). Patients and Methods Cardiovascular events after 89 SPKT procedures performed at our institution from March 1995 to March 2009 were investigated. Study criteria included normal functioning of both grafts. Patients included 36 women and 53 men, with mean (range) age of 37.7 (25–66) years. Duration of diabetes mellitus was 23.6 (10–48) years, and of dialysis therapy was 19.8 (0–70) months. The exocrine pancreatic secretions were drained to the bladder in 41 patients, and enterically in 45 patients. Mean (SD) follow-up was 58.62 (34.74) months. Results During follow-up after SPKT, 9 patients (10.1%) experienced cardiovascular events including cerebrovascular accident in 4 patients, myocardial infarction (MI) in 3, and episodes of angina pectoris without evidence of coronary artery disease in 2 patients. Nevertheless, these two patients had sustained an MI that required coronary angioplasty before SPKT. Moreover, coronary angioplasty was required in 2 patients before they were enrolled in the transplantation program because of silent coronary artery disease. Four of 9 cardiovascular events occurred in the perioperative period. No deaths occurred due to cardiovascular events. Patient survival rate was 100%, with both grafts functioning in 87 (97.8%). Conclusion Cardiovascular events occur relatively frequently in patients undergoing SPKT. In the present study, most events occurred in the perioperative period, but did not result in death.