Impact of donor, technical, and recipient risk factors on survival and quality of life after liver transplantation.

Hypothesis: Donor, technical, and recipient risk factors cumulatively impact survival and health-related quality of life after liver transplantation.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Tertiary care center.

Is there racial disparity in outcomes after solid organ transplantation?

Background: We sought to determine if disparities in survival and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) occurred after solid organ transplantation at our institution.

Methods: Data were extracted from a database including information regarding transplants that took place from 1990 to 2002. The HRQOL was assessed in patients by using the Karnofsky functional performance (FP) index and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire.

Survival and quality of life after organ transplantation in veterans and nonveterans.

Background: Some previous studies suggested that transplantation performed in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) patients was associated with a higher rate of complications and poorer outcomes. We examined more than a decade of experience with solid organ transplantation at a single center and compared VA patients with nonveteran patients to assess long-term patient and graft survival and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Methods: Demographic, clinical, and survival data were extracted from a database that included all transplants from January 1990 through December 2002 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (non-VA) and the Nashville VA Medical Center (VA).