Distance from transplant center influenced mortality risk for liver patients

Patients in the United Network of Organ Sharing showed an increased risk for mortality while on a liver transplantation wait list when living a greater distance from a transplant center, according to research presented at Digestive Disease Week 2014. Researcher Dr. Daria Zorzi, of UTMB’s Department of Surgery, and colleagues analyzed data from 63,242 patients listed for liver transplantation in region four of the United Network of Organ Sharing between 2002 and 2012. “These data suggest that the variable, distance from a [transplant center], should be used to improve the estimate of the mortality risk for patients on the waiting list for transplant,” Zorzi said at the conference.