Study protocol and patient selection
To date more than 600 variables on demographic and baseline characteristics, laboratory data, clinical and pathological reports, socioeconomic determinants and anthropometric indexes related to the recipient have been registered in the center. Data on donors including baseline characteristics, laboratory data, cause of death and other variables are further recorded within the center.
The standard immunosuppressive regimen used for our pediatric transplantation patients includes tacrolimus + myfortic or cellcept + prednisolone and our immunosuppressive treatment for post- transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) includes: mTOR inhibitors + low dose of
myfortic + corticosteroid and in some cases rituximab.
For this report, variables on baseline (age and sex) and anthropometric characteristics (weight, height and body mass index), clinicopathology of recipients of LT including blood groups, type of donor graft (living or deceased), ethology of liver failure, Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD)/Pediatric End Stage Liver Disease Model (PELD) scores, graft type (whole graft, living donor graft and split graft), segment of graft used, type of biliary anastomosis, type of
hepatectomy, in hospital complication rate, 1-year, 2-year, 5-year and 15-year survival, and cause of death were recorded. Regarding donor, specifics on age, sex, weight, height, BMI, and cause of death (among deceased donors) were extracted reported.
In-hospital complications were categorized as vascular complications, biliary complications, primary non-function, bleeding, infections, neurological complications, GI related complications, rejection of organ, renal complications, PTLD and other complications.
For those over 12 years old the MELD score was calculated and for those younger than 12 years old the PELD score was calculated.
Statistical analysis
Data was analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences software, version 20, for windows. Data are presented as means and standard deviation for quantitative data with normal distribution and as medians and interquartile range for quantitative data without normal
distribution. Qualitative data are presented as frequency and percentage.