Liver Transplantation: A 10-Year Low-Volume Transplant Center Experience in Kazakhstan

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation is considered to be the best available treatment option for patients with liver failure. In Kazakhstan, the liver transplantation program was established a decade ago. In this study, we analyzed a low-volume transplant center experience of liver transplantation in Kazakhstan. MATERIAL/METHODS: Clinical data of the 64 consecutive liver transplantations from deceased and living donors between 2010 and 2020 were retrieved from electronic records. All data were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 64 liver transplantations, 11 from deceased donors and 53 from living donors, were carried out in our center between 2010 and 2020. The mean age of the recipient was 44 years, 53% were female, and 47% were male. Hepatitis B+hepatitis D infection was the most common cause of end-stage liver disease (21 cases; 32.8%). The overall patient survival rates for 1, 3, and 5 years were 75%, 69.5%, and 59.6%, respectively, for recipients of a liver transplant from a living donor and 54.5%, 45.5%, and 39% for recipients of a liver transplant from a deceased donor. CONCLUSIONS: Our clinical outcomes had a high rate of biliary and vascular complications that led to a low survival rate of the recipients. Starting the transplant program in Kazakhstan faced various challenges. In the early period, most transplantations were performed in collaboration with or under the guidance of transplant teams from Russia, Turkey, and South Korea. Improving surgical techniques and protocols of pre- and posttransplantation management could reduce the complications after transplantation.