The renal transplant patient in the intensive care unit

Abstract

Renal transplantation is the best therapeutic approach for patients with end stage renal disease. However, immunosuppressive regimen increases incidence of infections. Occurrence of severe sepsis remains the main cause of admission in the intensive care unit (ICU) for renal transplant recipients.

After a short update about the most frequently used immunosuppressive drugs, this review will focus on the relationships between sepsis and immunosuppression and will detail the specific characteristics of renal transplant recipients admitted to the ICU. Further, management of immunosuppression in these patients will be discussed.