Novel Composite Endpoint for Assessing Outcomes in Liver Transplantation: Arterial and Biliary Complication–Free Survival

Transplant and patient survival are the validated endpoints to assess the success of liver transplantation (LT). This study evaluates arterial and biliary complication–free survival (ABCFS) as a new metric. ABC, considered as an event, was an arterial or biliary complication of Dindo‐Clavien grade ≥III complication dated at the interventional, endoscopic, or surgical treatment required to correct it. ABCFS was defined as the time from the date of LT to the dates of first ABC, death, relisting, or last follow‐up (transplant survival is time from LT to repeat LT or death). Following primary whole LT (n = 532), 106 ABCs occurred and 99 (93%) occurred during the first year after LT. An ABC occurring during the first year after LT (overall rate 19%) was an independent factor associated with transplant survival (hazard ratio [HR], 3.17; P