Variation in organ quality between liver transplant centers

A wide spectrum of quality exists among deceased donor organs available for liver transplantation. It is unknown whether some transplant centers systematically use more low quality organs, and what factors might influence these decisions. We used hierarchical regression to measure variation in donor risk index (DRI) in the United States by region, organ procurement organization (OPO) and transplant center. The sample included all adults who underwent deceased donor liver transplantation between January 12, 2005 and February 1, 2009 (n = 23,810). Despite adjusting for the geographic region and OPO, transplant centers' mean DRI ranged from 1.27 to 1.74, and could not be explained by differences in patient populations such as disease severity. Larger volume centers and those having competing centers within their OPO were more likely to use higher risk organs, particularly among recipients with lower model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores. Centers using higher risk organs had equivalent waiting list mortality rates, but tended to have higher post-transplant mortality (hazard ratio 1.10 per 0.1 increase in mean DRI). In conclusion, the quality of deceased donor organ patients receive is variable and depends in part on the characteristics of the transplant center they visit.