title: Management of intra-abdominal drain after living donor liver transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There have been few reports on the management of intra-abdominal drains after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). We retrospectively investigated changes in ascitic data related to management of an intra-abdominal drain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between March 2008 and June 2009, we performed 28 LDLT. On the first and the fifth postoperative day (POD) after LDLT, we examined the number of ascites cells and cell fractions as well as performed biochemical examination and cultures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The day of removal of the drain for massive ascites (10 mL/kg/d or more) was 14.2 ± 5.4 POD; for less than 10 mL/kg/d it was 8.7 ± 1.9 POD (P < .001). Nine patients were ascites culture positive; long-term placement of the drain caused an infection in two patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When the amount of ascitic fluid on the fifth POD after LDLT was small, it was important to assess the properties of the ascitic fluid because of the possibility of a drain infection or of poor drainage. If the ascitic neutrophil count is less than 250/mm(3) or the examined ascites is normal, intra-abdominal drains should be removed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Transplant Surgery, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke City, Tochigi, Japan. yuki371@jichi.ac.jp
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sanada
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mizuta
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Urahashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Umehara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wakiya
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashida
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Egami
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hishikawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ushijima
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Otomo
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakuma
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hyodo
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawarasaki
mesh_terms: D004322:Drainage; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors; D012189:Retrospective Studies