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Abstract Details
Predictors of Outcomes of Patients Referred to a Transplant Center for Urgent Liver Transplantation Evaluation
Hepatol Commun. 2020 Dec 27;5(3):516-525. doi: 10.1002/hep4.1644. eCollection 2021 Mar.
Omar Alshuwaykh1, Allison Kwong1, Aparna Goel1, Amanda Cheung1, Renumathy Dhanasekaran1, Aijaz Ahmed1, Tami Daugherty1, Deepti Dronamraju1, Radhika Kumari1, W Ray Kim1, Mindie H Nguyen1, Carlos O Esquivel2, Waldo Concepcion2, Marc Melcher2, Andy Bonham2, Thomas Pham2, Amy Gallo2, Paul Yien Kwo1
Author information
1Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Stanford University Medical Center Stanford CA USA.
2Division of Abdominal Transplantation Stanford University Medical Center Stanford CA USA.
Abstract
Liver transplantation (LT) is definitive treatment for end-stage liver disease. This study evaluated factors predicting successful evaluation in patients transferred for urgent inpatient LT evaluation. Eighty-two patients with cirrhosis were transferred for urgent LT evaluation from January 2016 to December 2018. Alcohol-associated liver disease was the common etiology of liver disease (42/82). Of these 82 patients, 35 (43%) were declined for LT, 27 (33%) were wait-listed for LT, 5 (6%) improved, and 15 (18%) died. Psychosocial factors were the most common reasons for being declined for LT (49%). Predictors for listing and receiving LT on multivariate analysis included Hispanic race (odds ratio [OR], 1.89; P = 0.003), Asian race (OR, 1.52; P = 0.02), non-Hispanic ethnicity (OR, 1.49; P = 0.04), hyponatremia (OR, 1.38; P = 0.04), serum albumin (OR, 1.13; P = 0.01), and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD)-Na (OR, 1.02; P = 0.003). Public insurance (i.e., Medicaid) was a predictor of not being listed for LT on multivariate analysis (OR, 0.77; P = 0.02). Excluding patients declined for psychosocial reasons, predictors of being declined for LT on multivariate analysis included Chronic Liver Failure Consortium (CLIF-C) score >51.5 (OR, 1.26; P = 0.03), acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) grade 3 (OR, 1.41; P = 0.01), hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) (OR, 1.38; P = 0.01), and respiratory failure (OR, 1.51; P = 0.01). Predictors of 3-month mortality included CLIF-C score >51.5 (hazard ratio [HR], 2.52; P = 0.04) and intensive care unit (HR, 8.25; P < 0.001). Conclusion: MELD-Na, albumin, hyponatremia, ACLF grade 3, HRS, respiratory failure, public insurance, Hispanic race, Asian race, and non-Hispanic ethnicity predicted liver transplant outcome. Lack of psychosocial support was a major reason for being declined for LT. The CLIF-C score predicted being declined for LT and mortality.