Kidney transplantation trends from UCLA registry data, 1975–1982

A total of 23, 607 cases transplanted in 1975–1982 were analyzed for proportion and survival trends within eleven classification variables. Increases of up to 2% of total cases per year in proportions of registered transplants over the eight years are found in the following subcategories (with corresponding decreases in complementary subcategories): first grafts, cadaver donors, recipients with diabetes mellitus, and kidneys shipped more than 50 miles. Larger proportional increases of 37% per year are found for HLA-DR matching, cold ischemia times greater than 24 hr, cold storage, and pretransplant transfusions. Recipient population crosssections are unchanged for age, race, HLA-A, B matching, and cytotoxic antibodies at transplant. Only the pretransplant transfusion classification has no increased graft survival in any subcategory; all other variables have one or more categories with increasing graft survival. It appears likely that the marked shift in transfusion policy nationwide has been the primary factor in increasing graft survival rates overall.