Objective: To compare the direct health care cost of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) with that of cadaver donor liver transplantation (CDLT) in children and identify predictors of cost.
Study design: All 16 children who underwent LDLT from January 1997 through January 2002 at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center comprised the study population. They were matched for age, diagnosis, and nutritional status with 31 children who received CDLT during the same era. A historic cohort analysis was performed.
Results: There was no difference in the 1-year mortality rates between both groups. Costs associated with graft retrieval contributed 15.3% and 31% of the initial transplant cost for LDLT and CDLT, respectively. Mean cost of care in the first year was 60.3% higher for LDLT than CDLT (P=.01). Multivariate analysis identified biliary complications and insurance status as predictors of cost for initial transplantation (R(2)=0.57), whereas biliary complications and pediatric end stage liver disease scores were identified as predictors of cost of care in the first year after transplantation (R(2)=0.77).
Conclusions: The comprehensive cost of LDLT in the first year after transplantation is higher than cadaveric transplantation. This must be balanced against the time spent and care needs of patients on the waiting list.