Effect of Procrit (Epoetin Alfa) on Preventing Delayed Graft Function After Deceased Donor Renal Transplantation

Delayed graft function (DGF) is a major complication following deceased donor renal transplantation. The surgical procedure of harvesting a kidney from a cadaveric donor and implanting the kidney into the recipient inevitably causes some amount of injury. While not always clinically significant, anywhere from 10-50% of transplant patients may develop DGF. Ongoing research in animal models has demonstrated benefit with administration of erythropoietin. The investigators propose to study the effect of Procrit(Epoetin Alfa) on delayed graft function in subjects undergoing kidney transplantation.