Association between delayed graft function and incisional hernia after renal transplant

Objectives: Incisional hernias can occur after any abdominal operation, including after renal transplant. Several risk factors have been identified in non-immunosuppressed surgical patients. We aimed to identify whether specific risk factors correlated with the development of incisional hernias after renal transplant. The existence of associations between these risk factors and postoperative complications was also reviewed. Materials and Methods: We reviewed 969 kidney transplants performed between February 2000 and January 2011. Thirty-nine kidney transplant recipients who were treated with rapamycin were excluded. The following potential risk factors were evaluated: recipient age, sex, body mass index at transplant, delayed graft function, diabetes, albumin, postoperative platelet count, drain placement, donor body mass index, donor type, warm ischemic time, and cold ischemic time. We performed univariate and multivariate logistic regression tests. Results: In our patient group, a total of 52 (5.4%) transplants were complicated by incisional hernia. On univariate analysis, we found that delayed graft function (P = .001) and infection (P < .001) were statistically significant predictors for development of incisional hernia. Multivariate analyses revealed that delayed graft function and length of stay remained statistically significant predictors. Conclusions: Delayed graft function and length of stay are significant predictors of incisional hernia after kidney transplant.