A screening test that measures whether a patient's heart is healthy enough for a kidney transplant is not as dangerous as once thought. The test, called a coronary angiography, uses dye and x-rays to show the inside of the heart's arteries and can help determine when to schedule a patient for transplantation. It has been thought chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients have an increased risk of complications from the procedure. The findings, appearing in the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN), indicate the test does not cause a decline in kidney function for patients with advanced CKD.     

This article originally appeared in the December 2009 issue of Kidney Transplant Today.