Gallopamil reduces the post-transplantation acute tubular necrosis in kidneys from aged donors

Due to a shortage of suitable kidneys for transplantation there has been an increase in the use of kidneys taken from old and marginal donors, which has led to a high incidence of acute tubular necrosis. Several reports suggest that the administration of calcium channel blockers improves the initial function after rend transplantation. We conducted a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial to study the effect of the calcium channel blocker gallopamil on the incidence and course of acute tubular necrosis following cadaveric renal transplantation. A trend developed showing a decrease in episodes of acute tubular necrosis in gallopamil versus placebo, and became statistically significant when the outcome of kidneys from donors older than 50 years was analyzed separately [gallopamil 6/14 (42%) vs. placebo 10/11 (91%), P <0.01 corrected χ²]. We conclude that pre-transplantation renal graft perfusion and post-transplantation recipient treatment with gallopamil reduces the incidence of post-transplantation acute tubular necrosis, particularly in kidney taken from older donors.