First liver transplantation for biliary atresia in children: The hidden effects of non-centralization.

Abstract

The aim of our study was to determine the impact of initial orientation for medical and surgical care of children with BA on procedures and outcomes of the first LT. We retrospectively analyzed charts of children with BA who underwent first LT between 2006 and 2015. Patients were divided into two groups for comparison: a single-center management group (from diagnosis to transplantation) and a secondarily referred group (children referred after failure of KP). We focused analysis on disease severity at transplantation, blood transfusion, and overall survival. One hundred and eighty-five children were included. The median delay between pretransplant check-up and transplantation was shorter in patients secondarily referred. A severe undernutrition was observed in 23.7% of children secondarily referred compared to 11.1% in children with a single-center management (P=.024). At transplantation, INR and factor V level were higher in single-center group patients (respectively, 67% vs 55%, P<.001 and 61% vs 49%, P=.002). The total of red blood cell and fresh frozen plasma administrated during procedure was two times higher in patients secondarily referred. Finally, patients with a single-center management had a higher overall 12months of survival rate (92.1% vs 83.1%, P=.033). In a country without low-density population issues, the authors advocate an early referring to transplant center to further improving LT outcomes in children with BA.