Compatible ABO mismatch and liver transplantation: a single center's experience.
OBJECTIVE
The current shortage of suitable donor organs and clinical urgency can lead to implanting grafts from ABO-mismatched donors. One-year graft survival rates for patients in this scenario have been reported as ranging between 25% and 75% less than those for ABO-identical or ABOcompatible grafts. We review and compare our experiences with transplanting ABO-identical and ABO-compatible mismatched livers.


METHODS
Considering orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx), 520 were performed at our institution between November 1992 and May 2003, 55 of which were ABO-compatible mismatched transplants. We retrospectively reviewed the data and compared patient and graft survival rates.


RESULTS
Overall 1-month and 1-, 5-, and 10-year patient survival rates among identical (group 1) and mismatched (group 2) groups were 97% and 91%, 90%, and 88.5%, and 79%, and 74%, 66%, and 65%, respectively. No significant difference existed between the 2 groups (P>.05). Similarly, 1-month, and 1-, 5-, and 10-year graft survival rates among groups 1 and 2 were 96% and 87%, 89% and 83%, 78% and 71% and 66% and 59%, respectively; these were not significant either (P>.05). All of the patients in the mismatched group had a high status according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). Only 1 person received an incompatible mismatched graft (B to A), which subsequently developed primary nonfunction.


CONCLUSIONS
ABO-compatible mismatch OLTx is unavoidable given the current state of organ shortage. Our results suggest that this type of OLTx can be performed with minimal risk among patients who require urgent transplantation and have high rankings according to the UNOS and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) system.
Aladag
Murat
M
Nazih Zuhdi Transplantation Institute, Liver Transplant Division, Integris Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73112, USA. maladag@inonu.edu.tr
Gurakar
Ahmet
A
Camci
Cemalettin
C
Yong
Ye
Y
Wright
Harlan
H
Nour
Bakr
B
Sebastian
Anthony
A
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000276:immunology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001787:Blood Group Incompatibility / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System