Sung Jun Jo, Jinsoo Rhu, Jongman Kim, Gyu-Seong Choi, Jae-Won Joh
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medical accessibility is important in liver transplantation (LT) because of the risk of infections associated with the use of immunosuppressants and complications that require continuous treatment, such as biliary stenosis. However, the effect of medical accessibility on LT success rates has yet to be scrutinized. The aim of this retrospective observational study is to determine whether medical accessibility affects LT outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS We enrolled patients who had undergone LT at Samsung Medical Center between January 2017 and December 2021. The level of medical access was divided into 2 categories (difficult and easy) based on a cutoff of a 120-min commute on public transportation to access LT. Baseline characteristics were calibrated with propensity score matching. The outcomes (overall survival and graft survival) and severity of emergency center visits according to medical accessibility were also investigated. RESULTS A total of 486 patients was included in this study. The median time to reach the hospital by public transportation was 135 min. Sex, Child-Pugh classification, Model for End-stage Liver Disease score, presence of hepatocellular carcinoma, and donor type were calibrated with propensity score matching, and each group consisted of 186 patients. The overall survival (88.3% vs 86.2%, P=0.67, 5-year) and graft survival (98.6% vs 95.4%, P=0.086, 5-year) showed no significant differences between the difficult-to-access and easy-to-access groups. While severity of emergency center visits differed between the difficult group (27.6%) and the easy group (15.5%), the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Medical access to LT did tend to increase emergency center presentation severity but did not affect long-term outcomes.
期刊介绍:
Annals of Transplantation is one of the fast-developing journals open to all scientists and fields of transplant medicine and related research. The journal is published quarterly and provides extensive coverage of the most important advances in transplantation.
Using an electronic on-line submission and peer review tracking system, Annals of Transplantation is committed to rapid review and publication. The average time to first decision is around 3-4 weeks. Time to publication of accepted manuscripts continues to be shortened, with the Editorial team committed to a goal of 3 months from acceptance to publication.
Expert reseachers and clinicians from around the world contribute original Articles, Review Papers, Case Reports and Special Reports in every pertinent specialty, providing a lot of arguments for discussion of exciting developments and controversies in the field.