Waiting List For Liver Transplantation Research Articles

Protocolized screening and detection of occult alcohol use before and after liver transplant: Lessons learned from a quality improvement initiative.

Detection of alcohol (ETOH) use with biomarkers provides an opportunity to intervene and treat patients with alcohol use disorder before and after liver transplant (LT). We describe our center's experience using urine ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and serum phosphatidylethanol (PEth) in alcohol screening protocols. Single-center, retrospective review of patients presenting for LT evaluation, patients waitlisted for LT for alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), and patients who received a LT for ALD over a 12-month period, from October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020. Patients were followed from waitlisting to LT, or for up to 12 months post-LT. We monitored protocol adherence to screening for ETOH use- defined as completion of all possible tests over the follow-up period- at the initial LT visit, while on the LT waitlist and after LT. During the study period, 227 patients were evaluated for LT (median age 57 years, 58% male, 78% white, 54.2% ALD). Thirty-one patients with ALD were placed on the waitlist, and 38 patients underwent LT for ALD during this time period. Protocolized adherence to screening for alcohol use was higher for PEth for all LT evaluation patients (191 [84.1%] vs. 146 [67%] eligible patients, p<.001), in patients with ALD waitlisted for LT (22 [71%] vs. 14 (48%] eligible patients, p=.04) and after LT for ALD, 20 (33 [86.8%] vs. 20 [52.6%] eligible patients, p<.01). Few patients with a positive test in any group completed chemical dependency treatment. When screening for ETOH use in pre- and post-LT patients, protocol adherence is higher using PEth compared to EtG. While protocolized biomarker screening can detect recurrent ETOH use in this population, engagement of patients into chemical dependency treatment remains challenging.

Liver Transplantation in Elderly Recipients: Is Age Just a Number?

The proportion of older patients on the liver transplant waitlist continues to increase. With limited existing data to guide liver transplant evaluation of elderly patients, we aimed to study selection practices and outcomes of patients ≥70years old. We hypothesized that 1-year patient and graft survival would not differ between appropriately selected elderly patients and those who are younger. All patients referred for liver transplantation between 2018 and 2020 were stratified into elderly (age ≥70) and young (age <70) cohorts. Evaluation data pertaining to medical, surgical, and psychosocial risk assessment were reviewed. Recipient characteristics and post-operative outcomes, primarily 1-year graft and patient survival, were compared, with a median follow-up of 16.4months. 322 patients underwent transplant out of 2331 referred. Elderly patients represented 230 of these referrals and 20 underwent transplant. The most common reasons for denial of elderly patients were multiple medical comorbidities (49%), cardiac risk (15%) and psychosocial barriers (13%). The median MELD of elderly recipients was lower (19 vs 24, P = .02), and proportion of hepatocellular carcinoma was higher (60% vs 23%, P < .001). There was no difference in 1-year graft (elderly 90.9% vs young 93.3%, P = .72) or patient survival (elderly 90.9% vs young 94.7%, P = .88). Liver transplant outcomes and survival are not affected by advanced age in carefully evaluated and selected recipients. Age should not be considered an absolute contraindication for liver transplant referral. Efforts should be made to develop guidelines for risk stratification and donor-recipient matching that optimize outcomes in elderly patients.

Nanoparticle-Based Interventions for Liver Transplantation.

Liver transplantation is the only treatment for hepatic insufficiency as a result of acute and chronic liver injuries/pathologies that fail to recover. Unfortunately, there remains an enormous and growing gap between organ supply and demand. Although recipients on the liver transplantation waitlist have significantly higher mortality, livers are often not allocated because they are (i) classified as extended criteria or marginal livers and (ii) subjected to longer cold preservation time (>6 h) with a direct correlation of poor outcomes with longer cold ischemia. Downregulating the recipient's innate immune response to successfully tolerate a graft having longer cold ischemia times or ischemia-reperfusion injury through induction of immune tolerance in the graft and the host would significantly improve organ utilization and post-transplant outcomes. Broadly, technologies proposed for development aim to extend the life of the transplanted liver through post-transplant or recipient conditioning. In this review, we focus on the potential benefits of nanotechnology to provide unique pre-transplant grafting and recipient conditioning of extended criteria donor livers using immune tolerance induction and hyperthermic pre-conditioning.

Nonselective beta-blockers in primary prophylaxis of esophageal variceal bleeding in patients with ascites waitlisted for liver transplantation

Objective: to determine the efficacy of non-selective beta-blockers (NSBBs) in the primary prevention of bleeding esophageal varices and to assess their impact on the survival of patients with ascites enrolled in the liver transplant waiting list (LTWL).Materials and methods. We carried out a retrospective comparative study of cirrhotic patients with severe ascites and esophageal varices without bleeding before enrollment in the LTWL. Primary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding included the use of NSBBs (n = 97, group 1). These drugs were not used in the other patients (n = 91, group 2).Results. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of clinical, laboratory and demographic parameters, MELD scores and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) classes for cirrhosis. Patient groups included in the study had no significant differences with respect to incidence of medium- and large-sized varices and incidence of severe ascites. Bleeding incidence was significantly lower in the NSBBs group than in the non-NSBBs group (52.6% and 95.6%, respectively, p = 0.0001).Conclusion. NSBBs constitute an efficacious therapy in primary prophylaxis of esophageal variceal bleeding, thereby saving life and preventing delisting of patients with ascites from the LTWL.

Treatment of intractable cholangitis in children with biliary atresia: Impact on outcome.

To evaluate the response and outcome with prolonged intravenous antibiotics including home-based intravenous antibiotics in children with intractable cholangitis (IC) after Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE) for biliary atresia (BA). A retrospective review of treatment and outcome of children with IC post KPE (no resolution after fourweeks of antibiotics) was donebetween 2014 and 2020. A protocol-based antibiotic regimen was used based on sensitivity and hospital antibiogram. Children afebrile for more than threedays were discharged on home intravenous antibiotics (HIVA). Twenty children with IC were managed with prolonged antibiotic regimen, including HIVA. All patients were initially listed for liver transplantation (LT) with indication being IC (n = 20) with portal hypertension (n = 12). Seven patients had bile lakes of which four underwent percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. Bile culture grew Klebsiella in four and Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas one each. There were eight children with IC who had positive blood culture with most of these organisms being gram-negative (Escherichia coli: 5, Klebsiella pneumoniae: 2, Enterococcus: 1). Median duration of antibiotics was 58days (interquartile range [IQR] 56-84). Median follow-up period post cholangitis was threeyears (IQR 2-4). Following treatment, 14 patients were successfully delisted from LT waitlist and are presently jaundice-free. Two of the five patients undergoing LT died of sepsis. One patient died awaiting LT. Timely and aggressive step-up antibiotic regimen may successfully treat IC and prevent/delay LT. HIVA provides a cost-effective and comfortable environment for a child which might improve compliance with intravenous antibiotics.

Association of Body Surface Area With Access to Deceased Donor Liver Transplant and Novel Allocation Policies

Small waitlist candidates are significantly less likely than larger candidates to receive a liver transplant. To investigate the magnitude of the size disparity and test potential policy solutions. A decision analytical model was generated to match liver transplant donors to waitlist candidates based on predefined body surface area (BSA) ratio limits (donor BSA divided by recipient BSA). Participants included adult deceased liver transplant donors and waitlist candidates in the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network database from June 18, 2013, to March 20, 2020. Data were analyzed from January 2021 to September 2021. Candidates were categorized into 6 groups according to BSA from smallest (group 1) to largest (group 6). Waitlist outcomes were examined. A match run was created for each donor under the current acuity circle liver allocation policy, and the proportion of candidates eligible for a liver based on BSA ratio was calculated. Novel allocation models were then tested. Time on the waitlist, assigned Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, and proportion of patients undergoing a transplant were compared by BSA group. Modeling under the current allocation policies was used to determine baseline access to transplant by group. Simulation of novel allocation policies was performed to examine change in access. There were 41 341 donors (24 842 [60.1%] male and 16 499 [39.9%] female) and 84 201 waitlist candidates (53 724 [63.8%] male and 30 477 [36.2%] female) in the study. The median age of the donors was 42 years (IQR, 28-55) and waitlist candidates, 57 years (IQR, 50-63). Females were overrepresented in the 2 smallest BSA groups (7100 [84.0%] and 7922 [61.1%] in groups 1 and 2, respectively). For each increase in group number, waitlist time decreased (234 days [IQR, 48-700] for group 1 vs 179 days [IQR, 26-503] for group 6; P < .001) and the proportion of the group undergoing transplant likewise improved (3890 [46%] in group 1 vs 4932 [57%] in group 6; P < .001). The smallest 2 groups of candidates were disadvantaged under the current acuity circle allocation model, with 37% and 7.4% fewer livers allocated relative to their proportional representation on the waitlist. Allocation of the smallest 10% of donors (by BSA) to the smallest 15% of candidates overcame this disparity, as did performing split liver transplants. In this study, liver waitlist candidates with the smallest BSAs had a disadvantage due to size. Prioritizing allocation of smaller liver donors to smaller candidates may help overcome this disparity.

Validation of MELD 3.0 scoring system in East Asian patients with cirrhosis awaiting liver transplantation.

Recently, a new predictive model that jointly considers the Model of End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) 3.0 and albumin has been proposed. This study investigated the performance of the MELD 3.0 score in predicting the 3-month survival of East Asian patients with cirrhosis compared with the other MELD-based scores. Validation was performed with the retrospective data of 2153 patients in South Korea who were listed for liver transplantation (LT). Discrimination and calibration analyses were performed using the MELD-based scores as an independent variable. On average, patients had the original MELD score of 18.70 ± 9.65. Alcohol (39.99%) and chronic HBV (38.55%) were the 2 main etiologies. The MELD 3.0 with albumin showed slightly better discrimination [c-index = 0.738, incremental AUC (iAUC) = 0.719] compared with the MELD 3.0 without albumin (c-index = 0.737, iAUC = 0.715), MELD-Na (c-index = 0.730, iAUC = 0.707), or the original MELD (c-index = 0.718, iAUC = 0.687) for predicting 3-month survival but not significantly different compared with prior models. Likewise, in the stratified analysis according to the strata of MELD, although the performance of MELD 3.0 was better throughout all the MELD strata than MELD original, there was no statistical difference in performance. The MELD 3.0 with albumin reclassified 22.61% of cases classified by the original MELD to higher MELD score categories, and there was no significant difference in the reclassification rate between males and females. The predictive power of the MELD-based system is lower in Asian populations than in western countries. Nonetheless, the MELD 3.0 score with albumin was significantly better in predicting the short-term prognosis of East Asian patients on the LT waitlist than the current allocation system, original MELD.

Characterization of social determinants of health of a liver transplant referral population.

Disparities exist in referral and access to the liver transplant (LT) waitlist, and social determinants of health (SDOH) are increasingly recognized as important factors driving health inequities, including in LT. The SDOH of potential transplant candidates is therefore important to characterize when designing targeted interventions to promote equity in access to LT. Yet, it is uncertain how a transplant center should approach this issue, characterize SDOH, identify disparities, and use these data to inform interventions. We performed a retrospective study of referrals for first-time, single-organ LT to our center from 2016 to 2020. Addresses were geoprocessed and mapped to the corresponding county, census tract, and census block group to assess their geospatial distribution, identify potential disparities in referrals, and characterize their communities across multiple domains of SDOH to identify potential barriers to evaluation and selection. We identified variability in referral patterns and areas with disproportionately low referrals, including counties in the highest quartile of liver disease mortality (9%) and neighborhoods in the highest quintile of socioeconomic deprivation (17%) and quartile of poverty (21%). Black individuals were also under-represented compared with expected state demographics (12% vs. 18%). Among the referral population, several potential barriers to evaluation and selection for LT were identified, including poverty, educational attainment, access to healthy food, and access to technology. This approach to the characterization of a transplant center's referral population by geographic location and associated SDOH demonstrates a model for identifying disparities in a referral population and potential barriers to evaluation that can be used to inform targeted interventions for disparities in LT access.

Living donor liver transplantation: A multi-disciplinary collaboration towards growth, consensus, and a change in culture.

Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) reduces liver transplant waitlist mortality and provides excellent long-term outcomes for persons with end stage liver disease. Yet, utilization of LDLT has been limited in the United States (US). In October 2021, the American Society of Transplantation held a consensus conference to identify important barriers to broader expansion of LDLT in the US, including data gaps, and make recommendations for impactful and feasible mitigation strategies to overcome these barriers. Domains addressed encompassed the entirety of the LDLT process. Representation from international centers and living donor kidney transplantation were included for their perspective/experience in addition to members across disciplines within the US liver transplantation community. A modified Delphi approach was employed as the consensus methodology. The predominant theme permeating discussion and polling results centered on culture; the beliefs and behaviors of a group of people perpetuated over time. Creating a culture of support for LDLT in the US is key for expansion and includes engagement and education of stakeholders across the spectrum of the process of LDLT. A shift from awareness of LDLT to acknowledgement of benefit of LDLT is the primary goal. Propagation of the maxim "LDLT is the best option" is pivotal.

Center use of technical variant grafts varies widely and impacts pediatric liver transplant waitlist and recipient outcomes in the United States.

To assess the impact of technical variant grafts (TVGs) [including living donor (LD) and deceased donor split/partial grafts] on waitlist (WL) and transplant outcomes for pediatric liver transplant (LT) candidates, we performed a retrospective analysis of Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) data on first-time LT or liver-kidney pediatric candidates listed at centers that performed >10 LTs during the study period, 2004-2020. Center variance was plotted for LT volume, TVG usage, and survival. A composite center metric of TVG usage and WL mortality was developed to demonstrate the existing variation and potential for improvement. Sixty-four centers performed 7842 LTs; 657 children died on the WL. Proportions of WL mortality by center ranged from 0% to 31% and those of TVG usage from 0% to 76%. Higher TVG usage, from deceased donor or LD, independently or in combination, significantly correlated with lower WL mortality. In multivariable analyses, death from listing was significantly lower with increased center TVG usage (HR = 0.611, CI: 0.40-0.92) and LT volume (HR = 0.995, CI: 0.99-1.0). Recipients of LD transplants (HR = 0.637, CI: 0.51-0.79) had significantly increased survival from transplant compared with other graft types, and recipients of deceased donor TVGs (HR = 1.066, CI: 0.93-1.22) had statistically similar outcomes compared with whole graft recipients. Increased TVG utilization may decrease WL mortality in the US. Hence, policy and training to increase TVG usage, availability, and expertise are critical.

Waitlist mortality in pediatric liver transplantation: The goal is zero.

Waitlist mortality in pediatric liver transplantation: The goal is zero.

S3117 Partial Splenic Artery Embolization for Patients With Portal Hypertension Undergoing Organ Transplant Evaluation: A Case Series

Introduction: Partial splenic artery embolization (PSAE) is an infrequently utilized approach to reduce portal hypertension (PHT) by reducing splenic arterial inflow and thereby splenic vein flow into the portal vein. We describe three patients who underwent PSAE to address diverse manifestations of PHT due to contraindications to transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS). Case Description/Methods: Case 1: A 50-year-old male with CKD stage 4 and idiopathic PHT had diuretic-refractory ascites and thrombocytopenia, precluding surgery for an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) and kidney transplantation. He was not a candidate for TIPS due to extensive portal vein thrombosis but underwent PSAE leading to resolution of ascites and marked improvement in thrombocytopenia (Figure 1). The patient ultimately received an AVF and was placed on the kidney transplant waitlist. He has been followed for 30 months with sustained clinical improvement. Case 2: A 60-year-old male with prior hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) status post right partial hepatectomy and hepatitis C cirrhosis complicated by severe thrombocytopenia and refractory ascites, had two previously aborted TIPS procedures due to unusual hepatic vein anatomy. He underwent PSAE that led to a reduction in frequency of therapeutic paracenteses and improvement of thrombocytopenia (Figure 1). Eight months later, TIPS was reattempted and resulted in complete ascites control for over six years. He is currently on the waitlist for liver transplantation. Case 3: A 60-year-old male had cryptogenic cirrhosis complicated by mild ascites, significant thrombocytopenia, and massive splenomegaly with mass effects. He underwent successful PSAE to alleviate splenic compression of the bladder. One year later, he had a repeat PSAE for diaphragmatic compression secondary to splenic hypertrophy. His thrombocytopenia also mildly improved (Figure 1). The patient was declined for liver transplant due to lack of social support. He expired from advanced HCC after two years of follow-up. Discussion: We report three cases of PSAE in patients with PHT awaiting organ transplantation. All three cases had improvement in ascites, splenomegaly, and thrombocytopenia. Although PSAE is not the primary treatment for PHT, it may have a therapeutic role in advanced cases, particularly in transplant candidates when other interventions like TIPS are not possible. Future studies should be conducted to further evaluate the role of PSAE in patients with PHT awaiting organ transplantation.Figure 1.: *2nd PSAE attempt in case 3 represented at time 0.

Impact of Sarcopenia on Short-Term Complications and Survival After Liver Transplant.

Sarcopenia is a common entity in cirrhosis with significant morbidity and mortality. However,the effects of sarcopenia on the risk of complications and survival after liver transplant remain controversial.We aimed to evaluate the effect of sarcopenia on survival and complications after liver transplant. Our study cohort included 61 adult patients with hepatitis C-related cirrhosis who underwent living donor liver transplant. Pretransplant clinical and anthropometric assessments included body mass index, hand grip, mid-arm circumference, triceps skin fold thickness, and gait speed. Sarcopenia was determined by computed tomography using the skeletal muscle index at the third lumbar vertebra cut-off value of <38.5 cm2/m2 for women and <52.4 cm2/m2 for men; these patients were then followed up for 6 months after transplant to determine survival and complications. At time of liver transplant, sarcopenia was present in 27/61 patients (44.3%). At follow-up after transplant, sarcopenia was found in 14 patients (30.4%) among 46 survivors; all patients who survived were male patients. Among patients with sarcopenia posttransplant, 12 had sarcopenia before transplant and 2 developed sarcopenia after transplant. Liver dysfunction, lower triceps skin fold thickness, recent infections, and sarcopenia pretransplant were associatedwithposttransplant complications, especially infection(42.8%) and prolonged intensive careunit stay. Age and pretransplant sarcopenia were found to be independent predictors of posttransplant mortality. Sarcopenia is a common entity in patients with cirrhosis who are on liver transplant wait lists and may continue after liver transplant. De novo sarcopenia after liver transplant is also a common finding. Sarcopenia can affect patient outcomes, including prolonged intensive care unit stay and poor short-term survival.

Can Weather Be a Factor in Liver Transplant Waitlist and Posttransplant Outcomes? Analysis of United Network for Organ Sharing Registry

Cold climate is known to affect the frequency and attributable mortality of various illnesses. This study aims to evaluate the effect of climate among regions on liver transplant (LT) outcomes. We analyzed data from the United Network for Organ Sharing registry for 98,517 adult patients (aged ≥ 18 years) who were listed for LT between 2010 and 2019. During this period, 51,571 patients underwent single-organ, deceased LT. States were categorized based on their mean winter temperature: warm states (45°F-70°F), intermediate states (30°F-45°F), and cold states (0°F-30°F). Post-LT outcomes at 1 month, 1 year, and 3 years were compared using Cox proportional hazard models. Ninety-day and 1-year waitlist outcomes were compared among climate regions using Fine-Gray hazard regression model. After adjusting risks for recipient and donor characteristics, LT candidates in cold states had a significantly higher waitlist (90-day: subdistribution hazard ratio (HR) 1.46; 1-year: subdistribution HR 1.41; P < .001) and posttransplant mortality (30-day: subdistribution HR 1.23; P=.009, 1-year: subdistribution HR 1.16; P=.001; 3-year: subdistribution HR 1.08; P=.007). LT recipients in cold states had a higher proportion of deaths due to infections than warm states (cold states: 2.3%; intermediate states: 2.1%; and warm states: 1.7%; P < .001). Potential reasons include weather-related changes in the behavioral and physiological parameters of patients.

Alcohol-associated Liver Disease Is Now the Most Common Indication for Liver Transplant Waitlisting Among Young American Adults.

Mortality from cirrhosis is increasing and is the highest among young adults with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). The aim of this study was to describe rates of liver transplant (LT) waitlisting stratified by age, sex, and cirrhosis etiology. Retrospective population-based study from 2003 to 2018 using the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database. Adults newly registered on the LT waitlist were included, and age at listing was dichotomized to ±40 y. Annual standardized incidence proportions of LT waitlisting by age group, sex, and etiology were calculated using census data. Changes in annual rates were described with Poisson regression. A total of 209 399 unique individuals were included, 10 326 (5%) <40 y at listing. In those <40 y of age, listing increased most for ALD (4-fold increase) followed by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD; 2-fold increase). Compared to young adult males, young females were more likely to be listed for ALD and less likely to be listed for NAFLD. In those ≥40 y of age, listings increased most for ALD (2-fold increase) and NAFLD (2-fold increase). Hepatitis C virus increased from 2003 to 2013 and declined post-2014 in the ≥40-y age group. LT waitlisting is increasing substantially in young Americans, driven primarily by ALD. These data support ongoing efforts to identify adolescents and young adults with early stages of ALD where interventions can be implemented to prevent the development of cirrhosis and liver-related complications.

413.1: The Impact of UNOS Acuity Circles-Based Organ Allocation on DCD Liver Transplant Rates and Waitlist Mortality in the United States

413.1: The Impact of UNOS Acuity Circles-Based Organ Allocation on DCD Liver Transplant Rates and Waitlist Mortality in the United States

333.1: Waiting List and Post-transplant Outcomes in Children And Young Adults With Liver Transplantation: An Analysis of the Information Registry and Management System of Argentina (SINTRA)

Introduction: The pediatric population of Argentina, especially those under 12 years old, access to liver transplantation through the MELD score exception. This fact might cause inequities since young adult’s recipients are at high risk factor for worse graft survival after liver transplantation. In this study we evaluated liver transplantation waitlist and post-transplant outcomes in those aged 18 to 24 years compared to younger waitlist registrants and recipients. Method: we performed a multivariate logistic regression to examinate the association between age at listing (0-5, 6-11,12-17 and 18 -24 years [the reference category]) and waitlist outcomes: drop out and transplantation. The model included the following features: emergency category, whether an exception score was granted, serum albumin, ABO blood group, and insurance payer status. The database used was the Information Registry and Management System of Argentina (SINTRA). Graft and patient survival were stratified by these age categories using Kaplan Meier curves to perform the analysis of transplant outcomes. Results: between 2006 and 2020, 1842 on first time transplants registrants and 794 recipients were included. Registrants aged 0 to 17 were less likely to experience dropout from the waiting list compared with those aged 18 to 24 years (adjusted hazard ratio, 0-5: OR 0.21 (0.16-0.30); 6-11: OR 0.36 (0.22-0.59); 12-17: 0.57 (0.39-0.86); 18-24: 1.00), and better transplant probability (adjusted hazard ratio, 0-5: OR 4.20 (3.03-5.82); 6-11: OR 2.10 (1.33-3.31);12-17: 1.36 (0.90-2); 18-24: 1.00). In post-liver transplant survival analysis, recipients aged 18 to 24 years had a similar risk of graft failure and death compared with all other groups. Conclusion: This study showed that there was not differences in liver graft failure and death between young adults ages 18 to 24 years and children. However, younger age liver transplant patients had had higher probability of drop out from the waitlist and less probability of being transplanted compared to younger age groups.

Use of endoscopic band ligation alone and in combination with nonselective beta blockers for prevention of variceal bleeding in ascites patients on the liver transplant waiting list

Objective: to conduct a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of two methods – endoscopic band ligation (EBL) alone and in combination with nonselective beta blockers (NSBB) – used for prevention of variceal bleeding (VB); to evaluate their impact on patient survival in severe ascites during long-term stay on the liver transplant waiting list (LTWL). Materials and methods. A retrospective comparative study of two groups of patients with decompensated liver disease, ascites and varices included in the LTWL, who received EBL (n = 41, group 1) and EBL + NSBB (n = 45, group 2). Results. The groups being compared did not differ in demographics, clinical parameters, MELD and Child–Turcotte–Pugh scores. There were no significant differences in the incidence of severe ascites, particularly diuretic-resistant ascites. The study groups did not differ in the incidence of mediumand large-sized varices. Incidence of bleeding did not differ in both groups. Overall mortality was significantly higher in the EBL + NSBB group than in the EBL group. Patient survival was lower, while mortality was higher in the EBL + NSBB group. The combined therapy group had a significantly higher number of acute kidney injury (AKI) than the EBL group. Conclusion. The compared methods are equivalently effective in preventing VB in patients with decompensated cirrhosis with a prolonged stay on the waiting list. Survival rate is significantly lower, while mortality is significantly higher in the EBL + NSBB group than in the EBL group.

Low Utilization of External Beam Radiation Therapy for Patients With Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Analysis of the United Network for Organ Sharing Database

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is a safe and emerging bridging liver-directed therapy (LDT) to liver transplant (LT) for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The prevalence and clinical characteristics of patients receiving EBRT as an LDT for LT have not been evaluated. Our aim was to describe the utilization of EBRT in patients with HCC evaluated for LT in the United States. We analyzed United Network for Organ Sharing data from October 2013 to June 2020 and identified patients with HCC who applied for model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) exceptions for LT wait list prioritization. The primary outcome was the period prevalence of EBRT. We examined associations between clinical variables and EBRT and fit survival models with EBRT as a time-varying predictor. We identified 18,543 patients with HCC with MELD exception applications. EBRT was used in 658 patients (3.5%) either alone (1.2%) or combined with other LDT (2.3%). Transarterial chemoembolization was the most used LDT (59.3%), followed by thermal ablation (27.9%) and radioembolization (15.2%). EBRT prevalence rose by an average of 12.2% per year (P=.001). Use of EBRT differed by geographic region, ranging from 2% to 8% (P < .001). EBRT and no EBRT groups had similar initial MELD score, portal vein thrombosis, tumor diameter, number of tumors, bilirubin, and α-fetoprotein (P > .05). Median time-to-transplant from wait list registration for EBRT versus no EBRT groups was 10 months (95% confidence interval, 9.4-10.9) versus 11.9 months (95% confidence interval, 11.7-12.2; P < .001). Evaluated as a time-varying predictor, EBRT increased the risk of LT by 30% (sub-hazard ratio, 1.30; P < .001), while the effect of EBRT on the risk of wait list removal due to clinical deterioration or death (sub-hazard ratio, 1.07; P=.489) was nonsignificant. In the United States, EBRT is rarely used compared with other LDTs and exhibits geographic variation. Low EBRT utilization highlights a gap in the treatment armamentarium for HCC.

Use of neural network models to predict liver transplantation waitlist mortality.

Current liver transplantation (LT) organ allocation relies on Model for End-Stage Liver Disease-sodium scores to predict mortality in patients awaiting LT. This study aims to develop neural network (NN) models that more accurately predict LT waitlist mortality. The study evaluates patients listed for LT between February 27, 2002, and June 30, 2021, using the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/United Network for Organ Sharing registry. We excluded patients listed with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) exception scores and those listed for multiorgan transplant, except for liver-kidney transplant. A subset of data from the waiting list was used to create a mortality prediction model at 90days after listing with 105,140 patients. A total of 28 variables were selected for model creation. The data were split using random sampling into training, validation, and test data sets in a 60:20:20 ratio. The performance of the model was assessed using area under the receiver operating curve (AUC-ROC) and area under the precision-recall curve (AUC-PR). AUC-ROC for 90-day mortality was 0.936 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.934-0.937), and AUC-PR was 0.758 (95% CI, 0.754-0.762). The NN 90-day mortality model outperformed MELD-based models for both AUC-ROC and AUC-PR. The 90-day mortality model specifically identified more waitlist deaths with a higher recall (sensitivity) of 0.807 (95% CI, 0.803-0.811) versus 0.413 (95% CI, 0.409-0.418; p<0.001). The performance metrics were compared by breaking the test data set into multiple patient subsets by ethnicity, gender, region, age, diagnosis group, and year of listing. The NN 90-day mortality model outperformed MELD-based models across all subsets in predicting mortality. In conclusion, organ allocation based on NN modeling has the potential to decrease waitlist mortality and lead to more equitable allocation systems in LT.