title: Mortality during intensive care after orthotopic liver transplantation.
abstract: The postoperative course of 335 adult patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation from 1968-1987 was reviewed retrospectively to identify patients who died in the intensive care unit and the causes of death. Forty-four percent of all deaths occurred in the intensive care unit. The mortality rate in the intensive care unit peaked in 1984 (48%), but decreased to 11% in 1987. The main causes for death in the intensive care unit were infection (55%) and haemorrhage (19%). The patients who died spent more time in the intensive care unit, had a longer period of tracheal intubation and received a larger intra-operative blood transfusion than patients who died in other locations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, London.
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gomez-Arnau
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lindop
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Klinck
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: R Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Calne
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D003422:Critical Care; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate