P2A.04: Successful intestinal transplant recipients have comparable return to work rates as other solid organ transplants

Background: Intestinal transplantation is an established therapy for patients with intestinal failure suffering from complications of total parenteral nutrition. While the immunogenicity of the bowel has imparted unique hurdles as compared to other solid organs, one and five year survival rates have steadily improved1. With increased long-term survival, other metrics of success are of interest. Re-entry to the workforce is an important quality of life indicator that has not previously been reported for intestinal transplant recipients. Re-employment after other solid organ transplantation varies from 22–63%, with kidney recipients demonstrating the greatest rate of re-employment (63%) and lung recipients the lowest (22%)2. Methods: All patients who received an intestine inclusive transplant between 2003 and 2018, at our institution, with a post-transplant survival greater than one year were retrospectively identified. Employment, (defined as financially compensated work), was assessed through a questionnaire addressing current work status and return to work within 1–5 years and 5–10 years of transplant. Results are reported as percentages. Results: 60 patients (>18 years of age) transplanted from 2003–2018 were alive at the time of this study. Data from 52 of the 60 patients was available for analysis. 25 (48%) patients were male, 27 (52%) patients were female. Median age at the time of transplant was 41 years (range 20–66) and 40 years (range 13–56), respectively. 20 patients out of 52 reported active employment (38.5%). 22 patients (42.3%) reported employment within 5 years of transplant. Of the 38 patients that were beyond 5 years from transplant, data for 31 was available. 16 of these patients (51.6%) were employed. Among the 32 patients who were unemployed, 3 (9.4%) were retired, 3 (9.4%) participated in volunteer work, and 3 (9.4%) were pursuing higher education. Conclusion: Despite the complexity of intestinal transplant, rates of employment among intestinal transplant recipients are comparable to that of other solid organ transplants. This suggests that intestinal transplant patients are capable of re-integrating into society and leading productive lives. Future aims include elucidating the variables such as support structure, disability prior to transplant, and educational level that may impact re-employment.