[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/ti.2025.14712.].
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/ti.2025.14712.].
Given the increasing number of kidney transplantation in elderly recipients, understanding age-specific risks is essential for optimized post-transplant care. We analyzed 572 kidney transplant recipients from the DZIF Transplant Cohort (2012-2023), stratified by age: <40 (n = 146), 40-60 (n = 279), >60 years (n = 147). Outcomes included infection burden, graft outcomes, and mortality over a median follow-up of 5 years. Multivariable Cox models with inverse probability weighting, adjusted for clinical confounders, was applied. In older recipients, the unadjusted 5-year rates of graft failure, mortality, and infections were significantly higher-both overall and for specific types, including pneumonia, urinary tract infections, invasive opportunistic infections, and multidrug-resistant infections. After adjustment, age remained only independently associated with mortality (HR = 6.21, p = 0.02), but not with overall infection burden or graft loss. Older patients exhibited a shift in pathogen prevalence, particularly for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and more severe herpesvirus infections, as well as higher infection-related morbidity, which contributed to graft failure. The first post-transplant year was critical, with infection burden strongly predicting graft failure (HR 1.16, p < 0.01). Age alone generally does not predict adverse transplant outcomes. Post-transplant care in elderly recipients should focus on early infection control with pathogen-targeted surveillance.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming healthcare, and the field of kidney transplantation (KT) is no exception. While much of the AI-related work has focused on deceased donor KT, there is a growing body of research applying AI tools to living kidney donation (LKD). This review explores AI's current and potential roles in LKD, focusing on predictive and social applications of AI in LKD. Additionally, we discuss the challenges and limitations of implementing AI in clinical settings and highlight emerging research trends. This review consolidates existing research and provides a foundation for both transplant professionals and data scientists seeking to integrate AI responsibly into living donor programs.
This study compares outcomes between Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney Transplantation (SPKT) and Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation (DDKT) in recipients with diabetes, assessing survival benefits against surgical and immunological risks. We analyzed Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients data (2014-2023) to assess patient and kidney graft survival. Overlap propensity score weighting was applied to adjust for group differences. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate survival outcomes in unadjusted, covariate-adjusted, and weighted analyses. Among 22,545 recipients with diabetes (25% SPKT), those receiving SPKT were younger (41 vs. 52 years), predominantly non-Hispanic white, had type 1 diabetes, lower BMI, shorter dialysis duration, and higher preemptive transplant rates (all p < 0.001). Overlap-weighted (ow) analyses showed no significant differences in 5- and 10-year patient (SPKT: 86%, 71%; DDKT: 87%, 74%) and kidney graft survival (SPKT: 80%, 66%; DDKT: 83%, 62%). SPKT recipients with graft survival at 1 year experienced higher 1-year treated acute rejection (owOR: 2.80, 95% CI: 1.75-4.49) and hospital readmissions (owOR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.62-2.60). However, among recipients with type 1 diabetes and BMI <30, SPKT was associated with lower mortality compared to DDKT. After adjustment for selection bias, SPKT did not improve long-term survival compared to DDKT and was associated with greater early morbidity.
The true comparative effectiveness of simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT) versus kidney transplantation alone (KTA) in patients with diabetes and end-stage renal disease remains incompletely defined. Using the TriNetX Global Collaborative Network (2010-2024), we identified 3,679 SPKT and 27,062 KTA recipients aged 18-59 years. In unmatched comparisons, SPKT recipients showed lower mortality, fewer cardiovascular events, and improved kidney graft survival relative to KTA recipients, but also higher early rejection, infection, and readmission rates. After 1:1 propensity score matching, the cohorts were well balanced across all measured covariates, and long-term estimates for survival (HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.90-1.10), kidney graft failure (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.94-1.04), and cardiovascular events (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.94-1.05) no longer differed over 10 years. In contrast, SPKT recipients maintained significantly lower HbA1c levels throughout follow-up (mean 6.2% vs. 6.6% at 5 years; p < 0.001), reflecting sustained physiologic glycaemic control and a high probability of insulin independence. Sensitivity analyses restricted to type 1 diabetes and non-obese recipients yielded consistent results. After accounting for measured differences between recipients, we did not detect a long-term survival advantage of SPKT over KTA, whereas durable metabolic benefits persisted. Because key donor and immunologic characteristics were not available, a modest intrinsic survival benefit cannot be excluded. These findings highlight the major role of patient selection and support individualised use of SPKT for metabolic indications and quality-of-life improvement rather than survival gain alone.

