Health-related quality of life after pediatric liver transplant: Single-center experience in Chile

Abstract

Introduction Orthotopic liver transplantation is the treatment of choice for most terminal liver diseases in children. Currently, the improved survival of these patients is well documented, but their quality of life post-transplant is not described. In Chile, Hospital Luis Calvo Mackenna (HLCM) has performed pediatric liver transplantation in children from around the country since 1994. The aim of this study is to evaluate our patients' and parents' current quality of life. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2010 and June 2011. All liver transplant patients currently in control at HLCM were invited to complete the PedsQL 4.0 report (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory). For each group, average score was calculated and comparisons were done using Student t and χ2 tests. Results Forty-nine patients were enrolled. One-third of the patients were between 2 and 4 years, one-third between 5 and 12, and the rest were 13 to 18 years old. Half of the patients had their tr