Preoperative Stratification of Liver Transplant Recipients: Validation of the LTRS

The liver transplant risk score (LTRS) was developed to stratify 90-day mortality of patients referred for liver transplantation (LT). We aimed to validate the LTRS using a new cohort of patients.

The LTRS stratifies the risk of 90-day mortality of LT recipients based on their age, body mass index, diabetes, model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, and need for dialysis. We assessed the performance of the LTRS using a new cohort of patients transplanted in the United States between July 2013 and June 2017. Exclusion criteria were age <18 years, ABO incompatibility, redo or multivisceral transplants, partial grafts, malignancies other than hepatocellular carcinoma and fulminant hepatitis.

We found a linear correlation between the number of points of the LTRS and 90-day mortality. Among 18 635 recipients, 90-day mortality was 2.7%, 3.8%, 5.2%, 4.8%, 6.7%, and 9.3% for recipients with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and ≥5 points (P < 0.001). The LTRS also stratified 1-year mortality that was 5.5%, 7.7%, 9.9%, 9.3%, 10.8%, and 15.4% for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and ≥5 points (P < 0.001). An inverse correlation was found between the LTRS and 4-year survival that was 82%, 79%, 78%, 82%, 78%, and 66% for patients with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and ≥5 points (P < 0.001). The LTRS remained an independent predictor after accounting for recipient sex, ethnicity, cause of liver disease, donor age, cold ischemia time, and waiting time.

The LTRS can stratify the short- and long-term outcomes of LT recipients at the time of their evaluations irrespective of their gender, ethnicity, and primary cause of liver disease.