KIDNEY TRANSPLANT IN ECUADOR, KEY POINTS AND CURRENT SITUATION.

Abstract

IntroductionKidney transplantation in Ecuador began in 1976, it was limited until 2011, when the Organic Law of Donation and Transplantation of Organs, Tissues and Cells became valid. This is indicated in end-stage renal failure, in adult and pediatric patients; and, compared to peritoneal and renal dialysis, it is less expensive for the health system. In 2015, in Ecuador, at least 30,000 people suffered from end-stage kidney disease; 45% of them could die without treatment. The objective of this study was to determine the current situation in Ecuador regarding kidney transplantation. MethodologyA descriptive, retrospective study. INDOT statistics were reviewed from 2007 to August 2019, to determine the total number of transplants and kidney transplants, type of transplant, effective donors, rate of donors per million population (pmp), transplanted organ rate (pmp), evolution of the national waiting list, survival rate, etc. Results From 2007 to 2019, 6134 transplants were performed: 25.4% renal. Most donors were male (68.1%). The donor rate (pmp) between 2009 and 2019 was 4.2 (SD: ± 2.1). The mean rate of transplanted organs was 8.1 (SD: ± 3.6) (pmp) from 2007 to 2019. In this period 1560 kidney transplants were performed: 83.1% with cadaveric donors (88.1% adults; 11.9% pediatric) and 16.9% with living donors (72.4% adults; 27.6% pediatric). The one-year survival rate after cadaveric and living donor kidney transplantation was 0.94 and 0.97 in adults; and 0.90 and 0.97 in pediatrics, respectively. Currently there are only 5 accredited centers for kidney transplantation in adults and one for pediatric kidney transplantation .ConclusionsKidney transplantation has made significant progress in Ecuador, however, it is still below the World Health Organization (WHO) goal established for the proper management of patients with chronic kidney failure.