Dynamics of the Romanian waiting list for liver transplantation after changing organ allocation policy.

AIM:The aim of the present study was to characterize the dynamics of the Romanian waiting list (WL) for liver transplantation (LT) over two periods: 2004-2007 vs. 2008-2011. METHODS:1,085 patients listed for LT during the time period 2004-2011 were included in our analysis. RESULTS:Death on the WL was significantly higher before 2008 (37% vs. 26.4%, p=0.0001) and risk of dying while on WL was 60% higher. Waiting time on the WL was 75% longer and time until LT was 102% longer before 2008 compared to the second time period (p=0.0001). After 2008, 62.3% of patients were listed for LT with Child Pugh class C compared to 22.1% before 2008 (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION:A significant reduction of mortality has been registered on the Romanian WL for LT after 2008, despite the increased severity of liver disease in patients listed for LT.