Kevin Wenzke, MD, internal medicine resident, presented his poster “Multidisciplinary psychosocial liver transplant evaluation in patients with alcoholic liver disease—an alternative to the ‘six month rule’” at the American Transplant Congress on May 1, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois.

Researchers sought to investigate the usefulness of a mandatory six-month sobriety interval that many transplant programs and medical coverage payers require prior to liver transplants for patients with alcoholic liver disease. The study analyzed data from psychosocial and substance risk assessment surveys from patients nationwide who underwent liver transplants in 2012-2014. 

During the study, investigators compared liver transplant outcomes as correlated with patients' duration of sobriety prior to transplant. Alcohol relapse rates after transplant occurred for 20 percent of patients regardless of pre-transplant sobriety interval. Statistically significantly associated factors were heavy drinking (more 10 servings per day) prior to quitting, previously failed treatment attempts, and alcohol use despite liver disease. 

Resources:

• Wenzke K, Kelly S, Eickhoff J, Lucey M, Rice J. 2017. Multidisciplinary Psychosocial Liver Transplant Evaluation in Patients with Alcoholic Liver Disease – Moving Beyond the Six-Month Rule. Am J Transplant. 17 (suppl 3):681.