Plasma exchange in a patient with primary antiphospholipid syndrome undergoing kidney transplantation

Early graft thrombosis remains the most frequent cause of renal graft failure in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) . Several authors have reported that anticoagulation begun before or at the time of kidney transplantation reduces post-transplant thrombosis. Nonetheless, despite anticoagulant therapy, graft thrombosis takes place in 40% of the APS population [7] and the appropriate treatment strategy to utilize in these patients is unclear. The present study is a case report on a patient with primary APS who, while receiving prophylaxis with plasma exchange (PE) in addition to full anticoagulation therapy, underwent a successful living-donor kidney transplantation.