The Cambridge and King's College Hospital experience of liver transplantation, 1968-1983.

The postoperative course of 138 transplants performed in 137 patients in the Cambridge and King's College Hospital series between May 2, 1968 and April 1, 1983 is presented. During the last 15 years, criteria for selection of transplant candidates has been improved and types of disease categories, both suitable and unsuitable for liver transplantation, have been defined. The acceptance of the concept of brain death and the use of heart-beating donors in the United Kingdom since 1976 has greatly improved the quality of donor organs. Changes in surgical technique, particularly with regard to biliary tract drainage, have reduced morbidity and mortality from biliary tract complications since 1975. The use of partial cardiopulmonary bypass in selected cases and changes in immunosuppressive drug regimens have not significantly improved our overall results. Despite these changes based on our experience, the perioperative mortality in the Cambridge and King's College Hospital series remains disturbingly high.