Postsurgical complications in living-related liver donors

Our Living Donor Protocol for Liver Transplant: A SingleCenter Experience

OBJECTIVES

The shortage of deceased donor organs is a limiting factor in transplant. The growing discrepancy between the wait list demand versus the supply of deceased donor organs has created an incentive for consideration of living donor liver transplant as an alternative. Here, we describe our evaluation process and donor complications.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Since 1988, we have performed 659 (449 living donor and 210 deceased donor) liver transplants. The most important evaluation criteria is the relationship between donor and recipient, and we require thatthe donor must be related to the recipient. The evaluation protocol has 5 stages. Donor complications were defined as simple, moderate, and severe.

RESULTS

We retrospectively investigated data for 1387 candidates, and 938 (67.7%) were rejected; subsequently, 449 living donor liver transplants were performed. There were no complications in 398 of the donors (88.7%). Total complication rate was 11.3%. Simple complications were seen in 31 patients (6.9%). Moderate complications were seen in 19 patients (4.2%). We had only 1 severe complication, ie, organ failure from unspecified liver necrosis, which resulted in death.

CONCLUSIONS

The relationship between donor and recipient and donor safety should be the primary focus for living donor liver transplant. Donor selection should be made carefully to minimize complications and provide adequately functional grafts.

Complications and outcomes of 890 living liver donor hepatectomies at a single center: risks of saving loved one's life

OBJECTIVES

Living liver donor surgery is a major surgical procedure applied to healthy people with mortality and morbidity risks and does not provide any direct therapeutic advantage to the donor. We retrospectively analyzed the postoperative complication of our living liver donors to figure out the risks of donation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Between November, 2006 and December, 2018, a total of 939 living liver donor hepatectomies were performed with no mortality to the living-related donors. Eight hundred and ninety donors with a minimum 1-year follow-up were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

Of the 890 donors, 519 (58.3%) were males and 371 (41.7%) were females. Mean age was 35 years (18-64) and mean body mass index was 25.7 kg/m2 (17.7-40). Right donor hepatectomy was performed to 601 (67.5%), left donor hepatectomy to 28 (3.2%) and left lateral sector hepatectomy to 261 (29.3%) of the donors. Of the 890 donors, 174 (19.5%) donors experienced a total of 204 early and late complications including life- threatening and nearly life- threatening complications in 26 (2.9%) of them. Intraoperative complication occurred in 4 (0.5%) donors. Right donors hepatectomy complication rate (23.3%) was higher than left donor (14.3%) and left lateral sector donor hepatectomy (11.5%).

CONCLUSION

All donor candidates should be well-informed not only on the details of early and late complications of living liver donation, also possible outcomes of the recipient. In addition to detailed physical evaluation, preoperative psychosocial evaluation is also mandatory. Comprehensive donor evaluation, surgical experience, surgical technique, close postoperative follow-up and establishing a good dialog with the donor allows better outcomes.

Live donor hepatectomy for liver transplantation in Egypt: Lessons learned

PURPOSE

To retrospectively review anesthesia and intensive care management of 145 consented volunteers subjected to right lobe or left hepatectomy between 2003 and 2011.

METHODS

After local ethics committee approval, anesthetic and intensive care charts, blood transfusion requirements, laboratory data, complications and outcome of donors were analyzed.

RESULTS

One hundred and forty-three volunteers successfully tolerated the surgery with no blood transfusion requirements, but with a morbidity rate of (50.1%). The most frequent complication was infection (21.1%) (intraabdominal collections), followed by biliary leak (18.2%). Two donors had major complications: one had portal vein thrombosis (PVT) treated with vascular stent. This patient recovered fully. The other donor had serious intraoperative bleeding and developed postoperative PVT and liver and renal failure. He died after 12 days despite intensive treatment. He was later reported among a series of fatalities from other centers worldwide. Epidural analgesia was delivered safely (n=90) with no epidural hematoma despite significantly elevated prothrombin time (PT) and international normalization ratio (INR) postoperatively, reaching the maximum on Day 1 (16.9±2.5 s and 1.4±0.2, P<0.05 when compared with baseline). Hypophosphatemia and hypomagnesemia were frequently encountered. Total Mg and phosphorus blood levels declined significantly to 1.05±0.18 mg/dL on Day 1 and 2.3±0.83 mg/dL on Day 3 postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS

Coagulation and electrolytes need to be monitored perioperatively and replaced adequately. PT and INR monitoring postoperatively is still necessary for best timing of epidural catheter removal. Live donor hepatectomy could be performed without blood transfusion. Bile leak and associated infection of abdominal collections requires further effort to better identify biliary leaks and modify the surgical closure of the bile ducts. Donor hepatectomy is definitely not a complication-free procedure; reported complication risks should be available to the volunteers during consenting.

Outcome of right hepatectomy for living liver donors: a single Egyptian center experience

BACKGROUND

This study aims to evaluate living liver donor outcome after right hepatectomy in a single Egyptian center.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between April 2004 and July 2010, 100 living donors underwent right hepatectomy. Their medical records and postoperative follow-up visits were retrospectively revised. Perioperative complications were reported. Postoperative complications were classified according to the five tier version of Clavien system.

RESULTS

There were 71 males and 29 females. The mean age was 27.6 ± 7.4 years. The mean graft weight was 999 ± 167 g and the mean volume percent of the remaining liver was 36.8 ± 8%. The mean ICU and hospital stay were 2.6 ± 2.7 and 12.4 ± 9.1, respectively. A total of 57 complications developed in 38 donors (38%). The commonest complication type was biliary complications. There were 22 grade I, 6 grade II, 15 grade IIIa, 12 grade IIIb, 1 grade IVa, and 1 grade V complications. One donor died due to posttransfusion ARDS on the 30th postoperative day. On follow-up, no donor developed long lasting disability. A donor died in a road traffic accident 1 year after donation.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Donor right hepatectomy is not an entirely safe procedure. Biliary complications are the commonest early postoperative complications.

Factors associated with changes in coagulation profiles after living donor hepatectomy

BACKGROUND

Hepatic resection may be associated with postoperative coagulopathy. However, there is limited information about the predictors affecting coagulopathy after donor hepatectomy. We evaluated the contributors of maximal changes in prothrombin time (PT), activated thromboplastin time (aPTT), and platelet count in the development of postoperative coagulopathy.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 864 living donors, all of whom received general anesthesia using desflurane, isoflurane, or sevoflurane. A coagulation derangement was defined as one or more of the following events postoperatively: peak PT >1.5 international normalized ratio (INR; highest quartile of PT), peak aPTT >46 seconds (highest quartile of aPTT), or nadir platelet count <100 × 10(9)/L. Factors were evaluated by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of coagulopathy.

RESULTS

Mean postoperative peak PT, peak aPTT, and nadir platelet count were 1.4 ± 0.2 INR, 43.8 ± 23.7 seconds, and 155.9 ± 37.3 × 10(9)/L, respectively, with 39.4% of donors being at the risk for coagulation derangement. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that predictors of such derangement included anesthesia duration, remnant liver volume, and body mass index (BMI). However, coagulation derangement was not independently associated with age, gender, volatile anesthetics, central venous pressure, fatty change in the liver, estimated blood loss, or intraoperative hypotensive episodes.

CONCLUSION

We found that long anesthesia duration, low BMI, and small remnant liver volume were predictors of coagulation derangement. These results provide a better understanding of risk factors affecting changes in coagulation profiles after living donor hepatectomy.

Is there any difference between right hepatectomy and left lateral sectionectomy for living donors? as much you cut, as much you hurt?

BACKGROUND

The worldwide rising demand for cadaveric donors in liver transplantation is an important incentive for the development of alternative transplantation options, such as living donors. A precise evaluation of surgical complications is, therefore, considered to be an important issue in this setting.

AIM

Present a retrospective analysis of 126 living donors hepatectomies undertaken at our centre.

METHODS

From December 2002 to August 2009, 126 living donors were submitted to hepatectomy. Donors' complications were stratified according to Clavien's scoring system to compare the morbidity of right hepatectomy (RH) (Group 1) and left lateral sectionectomy (LLS) (Group 2).

RESULTS

Thirty-nine complications were observed in 35 patients. Sixty LLS, 3 left (LH) and 63 RH were performed. The complications were classified as: Clavien grade 1-11 (28.2%), grade 2-12 (30.7%), grade 3A-13 (33.3%), grade 3B-2 (5.1%) and grade 4A-1 (2.5%). When Group 1 (63 patients) and Group 2 (60 patients) were compared, there was no significant difference between the number of complications: 20 (31%) and 14 (23%), respectively (P > 0.3).

CONCLUSIONS

Hepatectomy for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) was a safe procedure, regardless of the type of liver resection undertaken. We found no difference in morbidity between RH and LLS, which suggests that complications may occur despite the amount of liver retrieved.

22 Levertransplantatie

In 1963 verrichtte Thomas Starzl in Denver de eerste levertransplantatie bij de mens. In 1966 werden in Nederland de eerste twee (auxiliaire, zie par. 22.3.6) levertransplantaties verricht in Leiden en Arnhem, in 1968 startte Cambridge. Helaas resulteerden de eerste levertransplantaties niet in langetermijnoverleving als gevolg van niet-optimale operatietechniek, matige immuunsuppressie en onbekendheid met complicaties.