Liver transplant outcomes better in UK than in US

[Guest guest]

Liver transplant outcomes better in UK than in US

Wednesday,

November 21, 2007

By

NEW YORK - Although patients who undergo liver transplants in the US have better a 90-day survival, many of those who undergo the

procedure in the UK and Ireland seem to do better after the first year, UK researchers report in the November issue of Gut.

Dr. Muhammad F. Dawwas of Addenbrooke's Hospital,

Cambridge and colleagues note that international comparisons of

surgical results can be problematic and often fail to allow for long-term

results.

However, they point out that

the " standardized nature of liver transplantation practice makes it

uniquely placed for undertaking reliable international comparisons of surgical

outcome. "

To investigate further, the

researchers examined data for a 10-year period. The

data covered all 5,925 transplants performed in the UK and Northern Ireland as well as all 41,866 transplants conducted in the US during the same time interval.

In the UK group, at 90 days, the mortality was about 17 percent

greater than in the US. Similar

90-day mortality increases were seen in the UK group for patients with acute liver

failure - 27 percent - and for those with chronic liver disease - 18% percent.

There were no significant

international group differences between 90 days and 1 year. However,

after 1 year, those who received their transplant in the UK or Northern Ireland because of chronic liver disease did better than US patients. An exception was for acute liver failure patients who had

similar outcomes in both groups.

" These results highlight

interesting differences between two health systems funded by entirely different

mechanisms, " Dawwas told Reuters Health. " A predominantly privately funded healthcare system,

such as the one in the United States, was demonstrated to have a better

short-term outcome for liver transplantation, but a system of universal

publicly funded healthcare, as in the UK, had a better outcome after the first

post-transplant year. "

" Our results therefore

could have important implications for health policymakers in those countries

and beyond, " he concluded.

Gut 2007;56:1606-1613.

Barb in Texas - Together in the Fight, Whatever it Takes!

Son Ken (33) UC 91 - PSC 99 - Tx 6/21 & 6/30/07 @ Baylor in Dallas

[Guest guest]

This is a funny way of concluding this research. I translate it in

my way. The weak UK patients die within the first 90 days, and the

strong patients in the UK feel better than the weak and strong US

patients after a year. In the US the weak don't die but stay alive

so it sounds logical that the ones in the States on average feel

less good than the survivers in the UK. But at least they are alive!

How exactly do they conclude transplant outcomes in the UK are

better?

>

> Liver transplant outcomes better in UK than in US

>

>

> Wednesday, November 21, 2007

> By

> NEW YORK - Although patients who undergo liver transplants in the

US

> have better a 90-day survival, many of those who undergo the

procedure

> in the UK and Ireland seem to do better after the first year, UK

> researchers report in the November issue of Gut.

> Dr. Muhammad F. Dawwas of Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge and

> colleagues note that international comparisons of surgical results

can

> be problematic and often fail to allow for long-term results.

> However, they point out that the " standardized nature of liver

> transplantation practice makes it uniquely placed for undertaking

> reliable international comparisons of surgical outcome. "

> To investigate further, the researchers examined data for a 10-year

> period. The data covered all 5,925 transplants performed in the UK

and

> Northern Ireland as well as all 41,866 transplants conducted in

the US

> during the same time interval.

> In the UK group, at 90 days, the mortality was about 17 percent

greater

> than in the US. Similar 90-day mortality increases were seen in

the UK

> group for patients with acute liver failure - 27 percent - and for

those

> with chronic liver disease - 18% percent.

> There were no significant international group differences between

90

> days and 1 year. However, after 1 year, those who received their

> transplant in the UK or Northern Ireland because of chronic liver

> disease did better than US patients. An exception was for acute

liver

> failure patients who had similar outcomes in both groups.

> " These results highlight interesting differences between two health

> systems funded by entirely different mechanisms, " Dawwas told

Reuters

> Health. " A predominantly privately funded healthcare system, such

as the

> one in the United States, was demonstrated to have a better short-

term

> outcome for liver transplantation, but a system of universal

publicly

> funded healthcare, as in the UK, had a better outcome after the

first

> post-transplant year. "

> " Our results therefore could have important implications for health

> policymakers in those countries and beyond, " he concluded.

> Gut 2007;56:1606-1613.

> Barb in Texas - Together in the Fight, Whatever it Takes!

> Son Ken (33) UC 91 - PSC 99 - Tx 6/21 & 6/30/07 @ Baylor in Dallas

>