Geographic disparities in lung transplantation in the United States before and after the November 2017 allocation change.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The primary lung allocation unit was expanded from the donation service area to a 250-mile radius in 2017. Prior to the change, geographic disparities in donor lung availability impacted waitlist outcomes. We sought to determine if the new allocation system improved these disparities.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing the 2-year period before and after the change. Donor lung availability was defined as the ratio of donor lungs to waitlist candidates in the primary allocation unit. Transplant centers were divided into quartiles by donor lung availability. Multivariable competing risk models were used to determine the association between lung availability and waitlist outcomes. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models compared post-tra

SUBMITTER: Benvenuto LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9326499 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature