Is peri-transplant blood transfusion associated with worse transplant outcomes? A retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion is common during the peri-transplantation period. The incidence of immunological reactions to blood transfusion after kidney tran splantation and their consequences on graft outcomes have not been extensively studied. AIM: To examine the risk of graft rejection and loss in patients who received blood transfusion in the immediate peri-transplantation period. METHODS: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study of 105 kidney recipients, among them 54 patients received leukodepleted blood transfusion at our center between January 2017 and March 2020. RESULTS: This study included 105 kidney recipients, of which 80% kidneys were from living-related donors, 14% from living-unrelated donors, and 6% from deceased donors. Living-related donors were mostly first-degree relatives (74.5%), while the rest were second-degree relatives. The patients were divided into transfusion (n = 54) and non-transfusion (n = 51) groups. The average hemoglobin level at which blood transfusion was commenced was 7.4 ± 0.9 mg/dL. There were no differences between the groups in terms of rejection rates, graft loss, or death. During the study period, there was no significant difference in creatinine level progression between the two groups. Delayed graft function was higher in the transfusion group; however, this finding was not statistically significant. A high number of transfused packed red blood cells was significantly associated with increased creatinine levels at the end of the study. CONCLUSION: Leukodepleted blood transfusion was not associated with a higher risk of rejection, graft loss, or death in kidney transplant recipients.