Excluding Ascites From the GEMA-Na Score Does Not Impact Outcome Predictions in Liver Transplant Candidates.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Although GEMA-Na outperforms MELD 3.0 for liver allocation, concerns about the subjectivity of its ascites component persist. We compared the performance of a GEMA-Na iteration that excludes ascites with other allocation scores.

Approach and results

A multinational cohort study was conducted, including adult candidates for elective liver transplantation in the UK (2010-2020), Australia (1998-2020), and Spain (2016-2021). The primary outcome was mortality or delisting for sickness within 90 days. The prognostic impact of ascites was evaluated using multivariable Cox's regression. Discrimination was assessed using Harrell's c-statistics (Hc). The study included 15 391 patients (28.5% women). The prevalence of the primary outcome was 5.8% in the UK, 5.3% in

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez-Peralvarez ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12853322 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature