KDOQI Publishes US Commentary

KDOQI Publishes US Commentary on KDIGO's Guideline for Kidney Transplant Recipients July 2010  The KDOQI US Commentary on the 2009 KDIGO Clinical Practice Guideline for the Care of Kidney Transplant Recipients is now available on American Journal of Kidney Diseases' (AJKD) website. Click here to read the entire Commentary.  Dr Margaret Bia, MD of Yale University School of Medicine and the primary author of the KDOQI commentary, outlined the main messages: 1. In the US, decisions about immunosuoppressive medication such should always be done by or in concert with the transplant center. 2. KDIGO recommendations provide an excellent road map to guide clinicians in the complex care of the kidney transplant recipient but should not be used as the basis of policy because of the paucity of guidelines that are based on a strong level of evidence. 3. The Guideline stresses the need for continued monitoring of recipient's kidney function and drug levels, with frequent use of kidney biopsy to determine causes of graft dysfunction even after the early post-transplant period. 4. Control of risk factors to prevent cardiovascular disease, opportunistic infection and skin cancer, as outlined in the Guideline has now become a major part of good post transplant care.  "KDOQI collected a work group of US transplant nephrologists and surgeons to develop the commentary, which supports many of KDIGO's international recommendations while focusing on implementation and application of guidelines to local practice in the United States. The commentary also serves as an important guide for all clinicians who care for kidney transplant recipients," said Dr Jeffrey Berns of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Vice Chair of KDOQI Guidelines and Commentaries.  All KDOQI commentaries are published in AJKD and available online at www.ajkd.org and www.kdoqi.org.