title: Liver transplant recipients mortality on the waiting list: long-term comparison to Child-Pugh classification and MELD.
abstract: We sought to evaluate our experience concerning the high waiting list mortality rate for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) using the MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease), which has been shown to predict short-term survival better than Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) classification. The predominant end-stage disease was cirrhosis due to hepatitis C virus (67%), patient mean age was 36.8 years, and 72.1% were men. When the patients were included on a waiting list, the MELD score was stratified into W: 0 to 10; X: 11 to 20, and Y: 21 to 40 and the CPT as A: 5 to 6, B: 7 to 9, and C: 10 to 15. It was also observed that 77.8% of patients were on the waiting list, 16.4% underwent OLT and 5.8% had been removed. The estimated survival rate after 1 year was W = 85.4%; X = 83.3%, Y = 46.8%; A = 81.3%, B = 84.2%, C = 45.9%. Child median score was 8 +/- 1.5 (5 to 15) and the MELD was 14.7 +/- 5.1 (8 to 43). The mortality rate was 20.2%. Severe patients classified as Y or C showed greater mortality than the other groups (P <.001), but no significant difference between Y and C strata. The mortality rate was the same as in previous years.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Liver Transplantation, State University of Campinas, Campinas SP, Brazil. ilkaboin@yahoo.com
authors.forename: I F S F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Boin
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Leonardi
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: R S R
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Leme
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Udo
authors.forename: R S B
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Stucchi
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Leonardi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000145:classification* / Q000601:surgery; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014850:Waiting Lists