Clinical kidney journal
September 25, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Early postoperative galectin-3 for risk stratification of delayed graft function after kidney transplantation.
Minami S, Figueroa Rodriguez SM, Ibrahim F, +14 more, Boutin L.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Galectin-3 at ICU admission was independently associated with delayed graft function and added modest predictive value, needing external validation.
What was studied
Single-center retrospective cohort of 182 deceased-donor kidney recipients (January 2021-December 2022) comparing a base clinical model with a model extended by galectin-3 measured preoperatively, at ICU admission and ICU discharge.
Key findings
- 35 of 182 patients (19.2%) developed DGF
- Gal3 at ICU admission was higher in DGF patients (52.3 vs. 40.0 ng/ml)
- Adding Gal3 improved AUC from 0.705 to 0.744 and Brier score from 0.144 to 0.139, with discrimination retained after bootstrap correction
Clinical relevance
May eventually help flag recipients at risk of delayed graft function early, but not ready for routine use.
Who should care
Limitations
Retrospective single-center study with few events (35), modest AUC gain, and no external validation; some P values are cut off in the abstract.
Galectin-3 gives a small incremental gain in DGF risk prediction that needs validation.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Background
Delayed graft function (DGF) is a major early complication after kidney transplantation. Galectin-3 (Gal3), a mediator of inflammation and fibrosis, is associated with renal injury, but its role in predicting DGF remains unclear. This study evaluated whether early postoperative Gal3 levels predict DGF and clinical outcomes.
Methods
This single-center retrospective cohort study included adult kidney transplant recipients from deceased donors (January 2021-December 2022). Gal3 was measured preoperatively, at intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and at ICU discharge. The primary outcome was DGF, defined as renal replacement therapy within 7 days. A base clinical model (age, cold ischemia time, creatinine at ICU admission) was compared with a Gal3-extended model, assessed by area under the curve (AUC), Brier score, calibration, bootstrap optimism correction, and categorical net reclassification improvement.
Results
Among 182 patients, 35 (19.2%) developed DGF. Gal3 at ICU admission was significantly higher in DGF patients (52.3 vs. 40.0 ng/ml, P P = .008). Adding Gal3 modestly improved the AUC from 0.705 to 0.744 and the Brier score from 0.144 to 0.139. The Gal3-extended model retained superior discrimination after bootstrap correction. An exploratory prediction score demonstrated increasing DGF risk across score categories.
Conclusion
Gal3 measured at ICU admission was independently associated with DGF and provided modest incremental risk-stratification value. External validation is required before clinical implementation.
DOI
10.1093/ckj/sfag327
PMID
42871982
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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