Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Renal Transplant Patients with Pneumonia

Objective: To establish the frequency of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in kidney transplant patients with pneumonia and to define the risk factors associated with its development. Material and Methods: 81 kidney transplant patients hospitalized with pneumonia for the period of three years were studied. All the recipients were observed for the development of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Different noninvasive and invasive diagnostic tests were used. Results: 15 of the patients with pneumonia developed ARDS. The factors associated with increased risk for the development of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome included pneumonia in 1-6 month after transplantation, increased level of C – reactive protein, Cytomegalovirus-infection, bilateral lung infiltrates and failure of initial antibiotic therapy. Conclusions: The risk factors can be used to identify patients with pneumonia at increased risk for development of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Strict monitoring of high-risk patients can reduce the morbidity and mortality after renal transplantation.