Patient characteristics and outcomes
A total of 2032 recipients were included in this study. 1687 recipients received a protocol of IS all the time after pediatric LT and did not switch IS drugs. 345 recipients switched IS drugs midway after pediatric LT under the guidance of clinicians. The demographics and clinical characteristics of patients with switching IS drugs and patients without switching IS drugs are shown in Table 2. There were significant differences in recipient CYP type (p<0.001), cholangitis before LT (p=0.029), serum albumin (p=0.044), surgical type (p=0.018), graft volume reduction in the operation (p=0.008), kinds of IS drugs (p<0.001), addition of MMF (p<0.001), donor CYP type (p<0.001), and donor age at LT (p=0.021) between the two groups. Patients in switching IS drugs group had a higher rate of acute rejection in 3 months after LT, a higher rate of developing mental, neurological, and urinary complications after LT but a lower mortality rate and a lower rate of developing portal vein complications and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) than patients in no switching IS drugs group (Table 3).