Transplantation proceedings
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Recipients of primary transplants from donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors (n = 40) performed from January 2005 to December 2009 were retrospectively reviewed and compared with recipients of primary transplants from donation after brain death (DBD) donors (n = 142). Patients received rabbit antithymocyte globulin induction and rapid steroid taper (RST; steroids stopped 5 days after surgery). Maintenance immunosuppression included tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil. ⋯ Regardless of group, grafts with delayed graft function had lower 3-year survival. DCD primary kidney transplant recipients treated with rabbit antithymocyte induction and RST have short-term graft survival and function equivalent to DBD recipients. RST appears to be acceptable immunosuppression for DCD recipients.