Autoamputation of Toes in a Renal Transplant Recipient: Warning Sign of an Impending Graft Rejection?

Abstract

The peripheral arterial occlusive disease is responsible for a significant amount of morbidity and mortality in patients of end-stage renal disease. This disease might not be as common as end-stage renal disease in vascular complications arising after renal transplant. The peripheral arterial occlusive disease is responsible for lower limb amputation in chronic kidney disease. It is important to identify the peripheral arterial occlusive disease as it may lead to septicaemia which in turn can result in multiple organ failure and thus can prove to be a potentially fatal complication of renal disease. Here the authors report a case of a 42-year-old female who had undergone a renal transplant four years back. She presented with breathlessness and bilateral pedal oedema along with autoamputation of toes and ultimately had to be taken for haemodialysis. The patient was intrervene for an arteriovenous fistula for haemodialysis in view of graft rejection. Through this brief case report, the authors highlight the importance of a neglected autoamputation which was a missed warning sign of impending renal graft rejection in the present case.

Keywords

• chronic kidney disease
• haemodialysis
• peripheral vascular disease
• pedal oedema
• septicaemia