Data Sheet 1_Preoperative CT-derived skeletal muscle phenotypes, postoperative complication burden, and long-term survival after liver transplantation: a 90-day landmark mediation analysis.docx

We evaluated whether cumulative 90-day postoperative complication burden was compatible with an intermediate pathway between lower preoperative SMI or SMD and long-term mortality.</p>Methods<p>This single-center retrospective cohort used a postoperative day-90 landmark, restricting the primary analysis to recipients alive and under follow-up at day 90.

SMI and SMD were analyzed separately, with the 90-day Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI) as the mediator and all-cause mortality during a prespecified 5-year post-landmark window as the outcome. Linear mediator and Cox outcome models adjusted for hepatocellular carcinoma, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, and MELD 3.0. Percentile 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained from 1,000 nonparametric bootstrap resamples.</p>Results<p>Of 245 recipients screened, 205 entered the landmark cohort; 56 (27.3%) died during the prespecified 5-year post-landmark analysis window.