Outcomes of Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation

<jats:sec> <jats:title/> <jats:p>The study objectives were to determine whether the findings of the Adult-to-Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Cohort Study (A2ALL) reflect the U.S. national experience and to define risk factors for patient mortality and graft loss in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). A2ALL previously identified risk factors for mortality after LDLT, which included early center experience, older recipient age, and longer cold ischemia time. LDLT procedures at 9 A2ALL centers (<jats:italic toggle="yes">n</jats:italic> = 702) and 67 non-A2ALL centers (<jats:italic toggle="yes">n</jats:italic> = 1664) from January 1998 through December 2007 in the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database were analyzed. Potential predictors of time from transplantation to death or graft failure were tested using Cox regression. No significant difference in overall mortality between A2ALL and non-A2ALL centers was found. Higher hazard ratios (HRs) were associated with donor age (HR = 1.13 per 10 years, <jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic> = 0.0002), recipient age (HR = 1.20 per 10 years, <jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic> = 0.0003), serum creatinine levels (HR = 1.52 per loge unit increase, <jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic> < 0.0001), hepatocellular carcinoma (HR = 2.12, <jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic><0.0001) or hepatitis C virus (HR = 1.18, <jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic> = 0.026), intensive care unit stay (HR = 2.52, <jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic>< 0.0001) or hospitalization (HR = 1.62, P < 0.0001) versus home, earlier center experience (LDLT case number 15: HR = 1.61, <jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic> < 0.0001, and a cold ischemia time >4.5 hours (HR = 1.79, <jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic> = 0.0006). Except for center experience, risk factor effects between A2ALL and non-A2ALL centers were not significantly different. Variables associated with graft loss were identified and showed similar trends. In conclusion, mortality and graft loss risk factors were similar in A2ALL and non-A2ALL centers. These analyses demonstrate that findings from the A2ALL consortium are relevant to other centers in the U.S. performing LDLT, and conclusions and recommendations from A2ALL may help to guide clinical decision making. Liver Transpl 17:789-797, 2011. © 2011 AASLD.</jats:p> </jats:sec>