title: Pretransplant model for end-stage liver disease score as a predictor of postoperative complications after liver transplantation.
abstract: The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) is used to determine organ allocation priorities for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), although its value to predict posttransplantation mortality and morbility is controversial. The aim of this study was to analyze postoperative courses and (to evaluate the relationships between MELD score and postoperative) complications. We retrospectively examined the courses of 242 patients including 186 males and 56 females of overall mean age of 53 +/- 10 years who underwent primary liver transplantation. The classification of Dindo-characterized 5 grades of severity to evaluate postoperative events. The data showed that 171 patients (70.7%) experienced complications, while 71 (29.3%) had none. We observed that MELD score and complications were related (P < .05). Patients with complicated courses post-OLT displayed a 22.80 mean value of the MELD score, while those without complications showed a 17.64 mean value. The MELD score was also significantly associated with the time of intensive care unit stay and in hospital. Finally, we noted that MELD score and mortality were significantly correlated (P < .05). In conclusion, MELD score can be considered to be an objective system to predict the prevalence and severity of postoperative complications after liver transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Anesthesiology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. sinianest@libero.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siniscalchi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cucchetti
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Toccaceli
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Spiritoso
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tommasoni
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Spedicato
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dante
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Riganello
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zanoni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cimatti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pierucci
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bernardi
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Miklosova
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Pinna
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Faenza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D058625:End Stage Liver Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index