Liver transplantation : official publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society
-
Thrombotic complications are more common in liver disease than might be expected because of the coagulopathy described by conventional coagulation tests. Some of these complications may be life-threatening. The phenomenon of hypercoagulation is associated with complications in many populations, but the incidence in liver transplant recipients is unclear. ⋯ It is unclear what bearing this condition has on thrombotic complications. Conventional coagulation tests have no ability to diagnose this condition. It is conceivable that such patients may come to harm if hypercoagulability is unrecognized and, therefore, inappropriately managed.
-
Infants have the highest wait-list mortality of all liver transplant candidates. Although previous studies have demonstrated that young children may be at increased risk when they receive partial grafts from adult and adolescent deceased donors (DDs), with few size-matched organs available, these grafts have increasingly been used to expand the pediatric donor pool. We aimed to determine the current adjusted risks of graft failure and mortality in young pediatric recipients of partial DD livers and to determine whether these risks have changed over time. ⋯ Furthermore, although the adjusted hazards for partial graft failure and mortality were 1.40 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05-1.89] and 1.41 (95% CI = 0.95-2.09), respectively, in 1995-2000, the adjusted risks of graft failure and mortality were comparable for partial and whole organs in 2006-2010 [hazard ratio (HR) for graft failure = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.56-1.18; HR for mortality = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.66-1.71]. In conclusion, partial DD liver transplantation has become less risky over time and now has outcomes comparable to those of whole liver transplantation for infants and young children. This study supports the use of partial DD liver grafts in young children in an attempt to significantly increase the pediatric organ pool.
-
Multicenter Study
Serum alpha-fetoprotein level independently predicts posttransplant survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
We aimed to determine whether combining serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumor burden would allow better stratification of posttransplant survival for patients with HCC undergoing liver transplantation. Adjusting for donor and recipient characteristics, we calculated the risk of posttransplant mortality associated with serum AFP level or HCC tumor burden for all first-time adult liver transplants performed in the United States between 2002 and 2011 (n = 45,267). Serum AFP level, rather than tumor burden, was the tumor characteristic most strongly associated with posttransplant survival. ⋯ Changes in serum AFP level while patients were on the waiting list corresponded closely to changes in posttransplant mortality. In conclusion, the absolute serum AFP level and changes in the serum AFP level strongly predict posttransplant survival independently of the tumor burden. We hope that these data, in combination with other factors, can be used to inform future studies and ongoing discussions aimed at improving the eligibility criteria for liver transplantation for patients with HCC.
-
Obesity levels in the United Kingdom have risen over the years. Studies from the United States and elsewhere have reported variable outcomes for obese liver transplant recipients in terms of post-liver transplant morbidity, mortality, and graft survival. This study was designed to analyze the impact of the body mass index (BMI) on outcomes following adult liver transplantation. ⋯ There was no difference in death-censored graft survival or patient survival between the groups. In conclusion, this is the largest and only reported UK series on BMI and outcomes following liver transplantation. Overweight and obese patients have significantly increased morbidity in terms of infective complications after liver transplantation and, consequently, longer ICU and hospital stays.
-
Early allograft dysfunction (EAD) is a serious complication after liver transplantation (LT). There is no uniform definition of EAD, and most definitions are based on arbitrary laboratory values. The aim of this study was to devise a definition of EAD that maximizes the predictive power for early death and graft failure. ⋯ The best cutoff of MELD score on day 5 for predicting 90-day mortality or graft loss was 18.9. A MELD score >18.9 on postoperative day 5 was a better predictor than any other laboratory value or definition of EAD. This study has demonstrated that the MELD score can be a useful tool not only for pretransplant graft allocation but also for postoperative risk stratification.