Association of Community Distress With Lung Transplant Waitlist Acceptance

Area of Science:

• Transplantation research
• Health equity
• Socioeconomic determinants of health

Background:

• Racial and socioeconomic disparities exist in organ transplantation, affecting outcomes.
• Few studies have investigated disparities prior to lung transplant waitlisting.
• Community socioeconomic factors may influence access to lung transplantation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of community socioeconomic factors, using the Distressed Community Index (DCI), on lung transplant waitlist acceptance.
• To identify potential disparities in pre-waitlisting for lung transplant candidates.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 463 patients evaluated for lung transplant waitlisting (2016-2020).
• Calculation of composite Distress Index (cDI) using DCI data.
• Statistical analysis including descriptive statistics and logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Of 463 patients, 71.9% were accepted and 28.1% were denied waitlisting.
• Mean cDI was similar between accepted (42.5) and declined (44.8) groups (p=0.45).
• No significant association was found between cDI, its subcomponents, or demographic factors and waitlist acceptance odds.

Conclusions:

• The composite Distress Index (cDI) and its subcomponents were not associated with lung transplant waitlist acceptance in this single-center study.
• Further research is warranted to explore community-level socioeconomic disparities and disadvantage indexing tools in lung transplantation.
• Understanding the link between community factors and transplant candidacy requires expanded investigation.