%A Cooper,Matthew %A Schnitzler,Mark %A Nilubol,Chanigan %A Wang,Weiying %A Wu,Zheng %A Nordyke,Robert J. %D 2022 %J Transplant International %C %F %G English %K Kidney transplant,graft failure,estimated glomerular filtration rate,graft function,cost %Q %R 10.3389/ti.2022.10422 %W %L %M %P %7 %8 2022-May-27 %9 Brief Research Report %# %! Costs and renal function %* %< %T Costs in the Year Following Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation: Relationships With Renal Function and Graft Failure %U https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/articles/10.3389/ti.2022.10422 %V 35 %0 JOURNAL ARTICLE %@ 1432-2277 %X Relationships between renal function and medical costs for deceased donor kidney transplant recipients are not fully quantified post-transplant. We describe these relationships with renal function measured by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and graft failure. The United States Renal Data System identified adults receiving single-organ deceased donor kidneys 2012–2015. Inpatient, outpatient, other facility costs and eGFRs at discharge, 6 and 12 months were included. A time-history of costs was constructed for graft failures and monthly costs in the first year post-transplant were compared to those without failure. The cohort of 24,021 deceased donor recipients had a 2.4% graft failure rate in the first year. Total medical costs exhibit strong trends with eGFR. Recipients with 6-month eGFRs of 30–59 ml/min/1.73m2 have total costs 48% lower than those <30 ml/min/1.73m2. For recipients with graft failure monthly costs begin to rise 3–4 months prior to failure, with incremental costs of over $38,000 during the month of failure. Mean annual total incremental costs of graft failure are over $150,000. Total costs post-transplant are strongly correlated with eGFR. Graft failure in the first year is an expensive, months-long process. Further reductions in early graft failures could yield significant human and economic benefits.