Comparison of kidney transplant survival among transplant centers.

Human kidney transplant survival rates at 1 year were compared among centers according to the transplantation activity as measured by the number of renal transplants performed. Statistical methods are described by which a fair assessment can be made of the outcome when small numbers of grafts are involved. The method should also be useful in evaluating subsets of patients in any given center under different treatment protocols. No evidence was found that survival rates of cadaver donor transplants were lower at the smaller centers. Other factors besides size of centers are probably of greater importance in influencing transplant survival rates.