One Thousand Pediatric Liver Transplants During Thirty Years: Lessons Learned

Pediatric liver transplantation (pLTx) has been the standard of care for children with liver failure since the 1980s. This study examined the world's largest single-center experience and aimed to identify unique preoperative predictors of early graft and patient survival for primary transplantation (1°-pLTx) and retransplantation (Re-pLTx).

We conducted an IRB-approved, retrospective study of all consecutive, isolated pLTx patients 18 years of age or younger. Twenty-eight demographic, laboratory, and perioperative variables were analyzed as potential outcome predictors. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using log-rank test and Cox's proportional hazards model.

There were 806 children who received 1,016 isolated pLTx between February1984 and June 2017. Median follow-up was 12 years. Leading indications for pLTx were cholestatic liver disease (40%), re-pLTx (21%), and fulminant hepatic failure (14%). Seventy-three percent received cadaveric whole grafts. Overall graft and patient survival rates at 0.5, 1, 5, 10, and 20 years were: 76%, 73%, 67%, 63%, 53%, and 87%, 86%, 81%, 78%, 69%, respectively. Relative to 1°-pLTx, re-pLTx recipients were significantly older, larger, with worse renal function, and more likely to be awaiting pLTx in an ICU. Independent significant predictors of graft survival for 1°-pLTx included weight, transplantation era, and renal replacement therapy; for re-pLTx, warm ischemia time and time between 1°-pLTx and re-pLTx. Independent significant predictors of patient survival were renal function, mechanical ventilation, and etiology of liver disease.

This is the largest reported single-center experience of pLTx with substantial follow-up time and a large re-pLTx experience. Important transplant predictors of graft survival include weight, renal function, modern era, warm ischemia time, and time between primary transplantation and re-pLTx. Renal function, mechanical ventilation, and underlying cause of liver disease affect patient survival. Awareness of these factors can help in the decision making for children requiring pLTx.