[Premature mortality in the early postoperative period of liver transplantation].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the relation between premature death and complications that develop in the early postoperative period after liver transplantation.


METHODS
Liver transplants performed in adults in our hospital were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were distributed in 2 groups, those who died and those who survived the early recovery period, and the incidences of complications in the two groups were compared using a chi 2 for single variables and logistic regression for multiple variables.


RESULTS
In the 827 liver transplants studied, the recipient died in 86 cases, 7 inside the operating room (0.85%) and 79 during recovery (9.63%), for an overall mortality rate of 10.4% for surgery and the immediate postoperative period. Complications that were significantly different with respect to mortality in the multivariant analysis were post-reperfusion syndrome, atrial fibrillation, acute renal failure, and infection.


CONCLUSIONS
Only one of the complications was specific to liver transplantation: post-reperfusion syndrome. The others were of the type found in any critically ill patient, an nearly all led to an increase in infections, which is the most common reason for death during surgical recovery.
Galán Torres
J M
JM
Unidad de Reanimación Residencia General, Departamento de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor, Hospital Universitario La Fe, Valencia. ju.galant@comv.es
Silla Aleixandre
I
I
Chiveli Monleón
M A
MA
Rodríguez Argente
G
G
López Maldonado
D
D
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors