Early postoperative complications in recipients of living donor liver transplantation.
OBJECTIVE
Complications are common in the early postoperative period after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). The aims of this analysis were to describe and identify risk factors for early postoperative complications.


METHODS
Between June 1994 and June 2003, 140 consecutive LDLT patients were divided into 3 groups: group I was small infants <9 kg (n = 30); group II, pediatric patients (n = 63); and group III, adult patients (n = 47). The complications within 3 months after operation were analyzed.


RESULTS
The mortality rate was 1.4%. Surgical complications requiring relaparotomy occurred in 7.9% of patients. Intraoperative portal vein thrombosis requiring immediate thrombectomy, which occurred in 10 patients, was significantly more frequent in the small infant group (23.1% vs 3.2% vs 2.1%; P < .01). Acute hepatic artery thrombosis that occurred in 2 patients was remedied successfully using operative rearterilization. Hepatic outflow obstruction requiring radiological interventions developed in 5 subjects. Medical complications included the following: pulmonary (14.3%), renal (19.3%), bacteremia (10.7%), cytomegalovirus infection (9.3%), and drain-related infections (20.7%). The incidence of hospital-acquired renal insufficiency was significantly higher in adult patients (3.3% vs 14.3% vs 36.2%; P < .01). There was no significant difference in the incidence of acute cellular rejection between members of the 3 groups (10.0% vs 17.5% vs 17%; P = .63).


CONCLUSIONS
Sophisticated postoperative care with multiple disciplinary involvements may achieve a low early mortality rate in LDLT. Small infants weighing <9 kg may carry a greater risk of intraoperative portal vein thrombosis. Pulmonary complications and renal function impairments were the most troublesome in pediatric and adult recipients, respectively.
Lin
C-C
CC
Department of Surgery, Liver Transplant Program, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical Center, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Chuang
F-R
FR
Wang
C-C
CC
Chen
Y-S
YS
Chen
C-L
CL
Liu
Y-W
YW
Cheng
Y-F
YF
Lee
C H
CH
Jawan
B
B
D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000473:pathology; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods