Should we use liver grafts repeatedly refused by other transplant teams?

CA, centre allocation Centre allocation DCD, donation after cardiac death DQI, donor quality index ES, effect size HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma HR, hazard ratio ICU, intensive care unit IPTW, inverse probability of treatment weighting LT, liver transplantation Liver transplantation MELD, model for end-stage liver disease PA, patient allocation Patient allocation Patient and graft survival Survival benefit

Journal

JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology
ISSN: 2589-5559
Titre abrégé: JHEP Rep
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 101761237

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
Aug 2020
Historique:
received: 23 10 2019
revised: 06 04 2020
accepted: 08 04 2020
entrez: 23 7 2020
pubmed: 23 7 2020
medline: 23 7 2020
Statut: epublish

Résumé

In France, liver grafts that have been refused at least 5 times can be "rescued" and allocated to a centre which chooses a recipient from its own waiting list, outside the patient-based allocation framework. We explored whether these "rescued" grafts were associated with worse graft/patient survival, as well as assessing their effect on survival benefit. Among 7,895 candidates, 5,218 were transplanted between 2009 and 2014 (336 centre-allocated). We compared recipient/graft survival between patient allocation and centre allocation, considering a selection bias and the distribution of centre-allocation recipients among the transplant teams. We used a propensity score approach and a weighted Cox model using the inverse probability of treatment weighting method. We also explored the survival benefit associated with centre-allocation grafts. There was a significantly higher risk of graft loss/death in the centre allocation group compared to the patient allocation group (hazard ratio 1.13; 95% CI 1.05-1.22). However, this difference was no longer significant for teams that performed more than 7% of the centre-allocation transplantations. Moreover, receiving a centre-allocation graft, compared to remaining on the waiting list and possibly later receiving a patient-allocation graft, did not convey a poorer survival benefit (hazard ratio 0.80; 95% CI 0.60-1.08). In centres which transplanted most of the centre-allocation grafts, using grafts repeatedly refused for top-listed candidates was not detrimental. Given the organ shortage, our findings should encourage policy makers to restrict centre-allocation grafts to targeted centres. "Centre allocation" (CA) made it possible to save 6 out of 100 available liver grafts that had been refused at least 5 times for use in the top-listed candidates on the national waiting list. In this series, the largest on this topic, we showed that, in centres which transplanted most of the CA grafts, using grafts repeatedly refused for top-listed candidates did not appear to be detrimental. In the context of organ shortage, our results, which could be of interest for any country using this CA strategy, should encourage policy makers to reassess some aspects of graft allocation by restricting CA grafts to targeted centres, fostering the "best" matching between grafts and candidates on the waiting list.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND & AIMS OBJECTIVE
In France, liver grafts that have been refused at least 5 times can be "rescued" and allocated to a centre which chooses a recipient from its own waiting list, outside the patient-based allocation framework. We explored whether these "rescued" grafts were associated with worse graft/patient survival, as well as assessing their effect on survival benefit.
METHODS METHODS
Among 7,895 candidates, 5,218 were transplanted between 2009 and 2014 (336 centre-allocated). We compared recipient/graft survival between patient allocation and centre allocation, considering a selection bias and the distribution of centre-allocation recipients among the transplant teams. We used a propensity score approach and a weighted Cox model using the inverse probability of treatment weighting method. We also explored the survival benefit associated with centre-allocation grafts.
RESULTS RESULTS
There was a significantly higher risk of graft loss/death in the centre allocation group compared to the patient allocation group (hazard ratio 1.13; 95% CI 1.05-1.22). However, this difference was no longer significant for teams that performed more than 7% of the centre-allocation transplantations. Moreover, receiving a centre-allocation graft, compared to remaining on the waiting list and possibly later receiving a patient-allocation graft, did not convey a poorer survival benefit (hazard ratio 0.80; 95% CI 0.60-1.08).
CONCLUSIONS CONCLUSIONS
In centres which transplanted most of the centre-allocation grafts, using grafts repeatedly refused for top-listed candidates was not detrimental. Given the organ shortage, our findings should encourage policy makers to restrict centre-allocation grafts to targeted centres.
LAY SUMMARY BACKGROUND
"Centre allocation" (CA) made it possible to save 6 out of 100 available liver grafts that had been refused at least 5 times for use in the top-listed candidates on the national waiting list. In this series, the largest on this topic, we showed that, in centres which transplanted most of the CA grafts, using grafts repeatedly refused for top-listed candidates did not appear to be detrimental. In the context of organ shortage, our results, which could be of interest for any country using this CA strategy, should encourage policy makers to reassess some aspects of graft allocation by restricting CA grafts to targeted centres, fostering the "best" matching between grafts and candidates on the waiting list.

Identifiants

pubmed: 32695966
doi: 10.1016/j.jhepr.2020.100118
pii: S2589-5559(20)30052-5
pii: 100118
pmc: PMC7364172
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Pagination

100118

Informations de copyright

© 2020 The Author(s).

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Please refer to the accompanying ICMJE disclosure forms for further details.

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Auteurs

Audrey Winter (A)

Department of Biostatistics, UPRES EA2415, Clinical Research University Institute, University of Montpellier, France.
Beau Soleil Clinic, Languedoc Mutualité, Montpellier, France.
Medical Imaging & Informatics, Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Paul Landais (P)

Department of Biostatistics, UPRES EA2415, Clinical Research University Institute, University of Montpellier, France.

Daniel Azoulay (D)

Centre Hépato-Biliaire, Hôpital Paul Brousse, APHP, Villejuif, France.

Mara Disabato (M)

Department of Surgery, Henri Mondor University Hospital, Créteil, France.

Philippe Compagnon (P)

Department of Surgery, Henri Mondor University Hospital, Créteil, France.

Corinne Antoine (C)

Agence de Biomédecine, Saint-Denis, France.

Christian Jacquelinet (C)

Agence de Biomédecine, Saint-Denis, France.

Jean-Pierre Daurès (JP)

Department of Biostatistics, UPRES EA2415, Clinical Research University Institute, University of Montpellier, France.
Beau Soleil Clinic, Languedoc Mutualité, Montpellier, France.

Cyrille Féray (C)

Centre Hépato-Biliaire, Hôpital Paul Brousse, APHP, Villejuif, France.

Classifications MeSH