Open Access
Screening for cardiovascular disease before kidney transplantation
Author(s) -
Sneha Palepu,
G. V. Ramesh Prasad
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
world journal of transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2220-3230
DOI - 10.5500/wjt.v5.i4.276
Subject(s) - medicine , coronary artery disease , transplantation , kidney transplantation , dialysis , kidney disease , cardiology , intensive care medicine , disease , cardiac imaging , medical history , physical examination , guideline , myocardial perfusion imaging , pathology
Pre-kidney transplant cardiac screening has garnered particular attention from guideline committees as an approach to improving post-transplant success. Screening serves two major purposes: To more accurately inform transplant candidates of their risk for a cardiac event before and after the transplant, thereby informing decisions about proceeding with transplantation, and to guide pre-transplant management so that post-transplant success can be maximized. Transplant candidates on dialysis are more likely to be screened for coronary artery disease than those not being considered for transplantation. Thorough history and physical examination taking, resting electrocardiography and echocardiography, exercise stress testing, myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, dobutamine stress echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography, cardiac biomarker measurement, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging all play contributory roles towards screening for cardiovascular disease before kidney transplantation. In this review, the importance of each of these screening procedures for both coronary artery disease and other forms of cardiac disease are discussed.