Utilization of older deceased donors for pediatric liver transplant may negatively impact long-term survival.

BACKGROUND: Multiple adult studies have investigated the role of older donors (ODs) in expanding the donor pool. However, the impact of donor age on pediatric liver transplantation (LT) has not been fully elucidated. METHODS: UNOS database was used to identify pediatric (≤18 years) LTs performed in the United States during 2002-22. Donors ≥40 years at donation were classified as older donors (ODs). Propensity analysis was performed with 1:1 matching for potentially confounding variables. RESULTS: A total of 10,024 pediatric liver transplantation (PLT) patients met inclusion criteria; 669 received liver grafts from ODs. Candidates receiving OD liver grafts were more likely to be transplanted for acute liver failure, have higher Model End-Stage Liver Disease/Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD/PELD) scores at LT, listed as Status 1/1A at LT, and be in the intensive care unit (ICU) at time of LT (all p < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier (KM) analyses showed that recipients of OD grafts had worse patient and graft survival (p < 0.001) compared to recipients of younger donor (YD) grafts. KM analyses performed on candidates matched for acuity at LT revealed inferior patient and graft survival in recipients of deceased donor grafts (p < 0.001), but not living donor grafts (p > 0.1) from ODs. Cox regression analysis demonstrated that living donor LT, diagnosis of biliary atresia and first liver transplant were favorable predictors of recipient outcomes, whereas ICU stay before LT and transplantation during 2002-12 were unfavorable. CONCLUSION: Livers from ODs were used for candidates with higher acuity. Pediatric recipients of livers from ODs had worse outcome compared to YDs; however, living donor LT from ODs had the least negative impact on recipient outcomes.

Outcomes Analyses of Pediatric Acute Liver Failure Subjects Listed for Liver Transplantation.

BACKGROUND: We characterized recent outcomes in US pediatric acute liver failure (PALF) subjects listed for liver transplantation (LT) using the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) database. METHODS: Pediatric subjects listed for LT from 2002 to 2015 were assigned to the "PALF" group based on status 1/1A listing, INR >2, no hepatic artery thrombosis, and no primary graft nonfunction (N = 397). Subjects were assigned to the "non-PALF" group if listed with any status other than 1/1A (N = 4509). RESULTS: The PALF group had more infants <3 months of age and males at listing for LT compared to the non-PALF group. Two-thirds of PALF subjects had an indeterminate etiology. LT waitlist survival was significantly worse in the PALF group compared to the non-PALF group. Likelihood of removal from the LT waitlist for being "too sick" was higher, while that of removal for "spontaneous recovery" was lower in PALF subjects. Post-LT short-term (30 days) and long-term (60 months) outcomes were also significantly worse in PALF versus non-PALF subjects. PALF subjects who underwent living-donor-liver-transplant (LDLT) had similar LT waitlist times and post-LT survival compared to those undergoing deceased-donor-liver-transplant (DDLT). Over the study period, we observed a decreased number of liver transplants, and increase in LT waitlist- and short-term post-LT-survival in PALF subjects. CONCLUSION: LT waitlist and post-LT outcomes are worse in PALF subjects compared to non-PALF subjects. PALF subjects who undergo LDLT have similar waitlist times and post-LT outcomes compared to those undergoing DDLT.

Pediatric solid organ transplant recipients: transition to home and chronic illness care.

Pediatric SOT recipients are medically fragile and present with complex care issues requiring high-level management at home. Parents of hospitalized children have reported inadequate preparation for discharge, resulting in problems transitioning from hospital to home and independently self-managing their child's complex care needs. The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with the transition from hospital to home and chronic illness care for parents of heart, kidney, liver, lung, or multivisceral recipients. Fifty-one parents from five pediatric transplant centers completed questionnaires on the day of hospital discharge and telephone interviews at three wk, three months, and six months following discharge from the hospital. Care coordination (p = 0.02) and quality of discharge teaching (p < 0.01) was significantly associated with parent readiness for discharge. Readiness for hospital discharge was subsequently significantly associated with post-discharge coping difficulty (p = 0.02) at three wk, adherence with medication administration (p = 0.03) at three months, and post-discharge coping difficulty (p = 0.04) and family management (p = 0.02) at six months post-discharge. The results underscore the important aspect of education and care coordination in preparing patients and families to successfully self-manage after hospital discharge. Assessing parental readiness for hospital discharge is another critical component for identifying risk of difficulties in managing post-discharge care.

Towards minimizing immunosuppression in pediatric liver transplant recipients.

Immunosuppression regimens after liver transplantation focus mainly on preventing rejection and subsequent graft loss. However, in children, morbidity and mortality rates from infections exceed those from rejection after transplant, and immunosuppression can hinder growth, renal function, and graft tolerance. We hypothesized that early steroid withdrawal, with a primary aim of TAC monotherapy would yield no penalty in terms of rejection and graft loss, while reducing risks of infection and maximizing growth. We prospectively evaluated 64 consecutive pediatric liver transplant recipients. One yr patient/graft survival was 93/90%, respectively. At one yr post-transplant, 75.4% of patients were on TAC monotherapy. No deaths or graft losses were caused by infection. Sixty-one percent of patients had at least one episode of rejection, most within three months following transplant and 3.8% were treated for chronic rejection. One non-compliant adolescent died from chronic rejection. CMV, EBV, and lymphoproliferative disease rates were 3.1%, 5.3%, 1.8%, respectively. Pretransplant and one yr post-transplant glomerular filtration rates were unchanged. One yr improved catch-up growth was observed. We conclude that immunosuppression minimization after pediatric liver transplant yields no serious complications from rejection, and might confer advantages with respect to infection, renal function, growth, and is deserving of wider application and study.

Liver transplantation and chemotherapy in children with unresectable primary hepatic malignancies: development of a management algorithm.

OBJECTIVES: Total surgical excision and adjunctive chemotherapy are cornerstones of treatment of primary hepatic malignancies in children. Recent studies suggest that transplantation is a viable option for unresectable tumors, but there are questions concerning decision making regarding resectability and timing of transplantation in relation to chemotherapy. We developed a management algorithm based on our experience, with reference to recently published multicenter transplantation outcomes. RESULTS: Nine patients underwent transplantation (median age, 38 months; 7 hepatoblastoma, 2 undifferentiated mesenchymal sarcoma). All were assessed unresectable at presentation. After chemotherapy, 7 remained unresectable and had primary transplantation, 1 developed chemotherapy-related liver failure, necessitating emergent transplantation, and 1 was deemed resectable, requiring rescue transplantation after local recurrence. Using a timely living/cadaver donor graft acquisition strategy relative to chemotherapy, median waiting time from listing was 8 days. After transplantation, 3 of 9 had chemotherapy, with side effects dictating discontinuation in 2; 6 of 9 had no chemotherapy, with 2 developing distant metastases, 1 of whom died 12 months posttransplantation. Median follow-up was 3.08 years. Overall survival was 89%. CONCLUSIONS: Primary transplantation can be highly successful in children with hepatic tumors. These outcomes compare favorably with multicenter studies, where waiting-list deaths are reported and survival after rescue transplantation is poor. We encourage timely transplantation in the setting of questionably resectable tumors or evidence of chemotherapy resistance. The necessity of posttransplantation chemotherapy is questioned. Consultation with a transplantation program before chemotherapy should avoid inappropriate attempts at resection and allow appropriate planning of transplantation in relation to chemotherapy.