Comparison of two periods in liver transplantation at Colombian medical center

Abstract

Objective: Liver transplantation is the treatment of choice for acute and chronic liver failure. Liver transplantation results have improved in recent years, so the objective of our work was to compare results from two different periods of time at a center in Colombia. Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study comparing first time adult liver transplant patients from 2004-2010 (Series 1: 241 patients) and from 2011-2016 (Series 2: 142 patients). Results: The average patient age was 54 years, 57% were men, and the average MELD score was 20. There were no significant differences between the characteristics of donors and recipients from one period to the next. The main indications for liver transplantation were alcoholic cirrhosis and cryptogenic and autoimmune hepatitis. Series 2 contained fewer hepatitis B and C cases than did Series 1. Thirty percent of the patients had hepatocellular carcinoma. The one-year survival rates were 81% in Series 1 and 91% in Series 2, whereas five-year survival rates were 71% and 80%, respectively. The main causes of death were cancer, cardiovascular disease and sepsis. From the first period to the second period, there was a significant increase in biliary complications but no differences in infectious complications, vascular complications or cellular rejection. Conclusion: Short and medium term liver transplantation results at this center in Colombia have been excellent, but there have been significant improvements in patient survival rates in recent years that are similar to those reported elsewhere in the world.