Center variability.

1. Variation among centers accounted for about one-third of the assignable variation in kidney transplant graft survival. 2. Centers varied systematically in their use of CsA and of pretransplant transfusions and in transplant cold ischemia times--factors strongly related to graft outcome. About 90% of patients received CsA. 3. At some centers, graft survival rates in the low 90% range were attained for first transplants from cadaver donors. 4. Variation among centers was less noticeable at high survival rates. Nearly all centers had good results using HLA-identical sibling donors. 5. Centers with better survival rates tended to treat fewer transplants with CsA. There was a modest, but potentially interesting, negative correlation.