Modified Charlson Comorbidity Index in predicting early mortality after liver transplantation.
BACKGROUND
The Charlson Comorbidity Index for orthotopic liver transplantation (CCI-OLT) is a modified clinical score recently proposed to be useful for the assessment of long-term survival after OLT. It includes 9 associated conditions selected upon a multivariate analysis of a large cohort of transplant recipients. Its role in predicting early mortality after OLT has not yet been investigated. We sought to CCI-OLT as a potential predictor of 1-month mortality after OLT.


METHODS
One hundred ninety-seven OLT were performed in our center between March 2002 and February 2009. After exclusion of patients who underwent transplantation for fulminant hepatic failure or those who underwent regrafting, we included a group of 169 patients. Viral (39%) and alcohol-induced (23%) cirrhosis were the most common indications for OLT. The CCI-OLT index was assessed in all patients.


RESULTS
In total, 146 (86%) subjects survived and 23 (14%) died within 1 month after LT. Fifty-one (30%) patients suffered at least 1 comorbidity that was included in the CCI-OLT. Direct comparison between survivor versus nonsurvivor groups showed no significant difference in terms of the total frequency of comorbidities (30.1% vs 30.4%; P > .99) or the number or the type of comorbidity. The most commonly associated condition in both groups was diabetes mellitus.


CONCLUSIONS
Unlike the case of long-term survival, CCI-OLT did not seem to predict early (1-month) mortality after OLT.
Department of Hepatology and Liver Transplantation, M. Curie Hospital, 71-455 Szczecin, Poland.
M
M
Wasilewicz
J
J
Raszeja-Wyszomirska
E
E
Wunsch
M
M
Wójcicki
P
P
Milkiewicz
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000601:surgery; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000401:mortality / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D017741:Survivors; D013997:Time Factors