Approach to the patient with decompensated cirrhosis and aortic stenosis during liver transplantation evaluation

Surgical risk stratification in patients with cirrhosis

Individuals with cirrhosis experience higher morbidity and mortality rates than the general population, irrespective of the type or scope of surgery. This increased risk is attributed to adverse effects of liver disease, encompassing coagulation dysfunction, altered metabolism of anesthesia and sedatives, immunologic dysfunction, hemorrhage related to varices, malnutrition and frailty, impaired wound healing, as well as diminished portal blood flow, overall hepatic circulation, and hepatic oxygen supply during surgical procedures. Therefore, a frequent clinical dilemma is whether surgical interventions should be pursued in patients with cirrhosis. Several risk scores are widely used to aid in the decision-making process, each with specific advantages and limitations. This review aims to discuss the preoperative risk factors in patients with cirrhosis, describe and compare surgical risk assessment models used in everyday practice, provide insights into the surgical risk according to the type of surgery and present recommendations for optimizing those with cirrhosis for surgical procedures. As the primary focus is on currently available risk models, the review describes the predictive value of each model, highlighting its specific advantages and limitations. Furthermore, for models that do not account for the type of surgical procedure to be performed, the review suggests incorporating both patient-related and surgery-related risks into the decision-making process. Finally, we provide an algorithm for the preoperative assessment of patients with cirrhosis before elective surgery as well as guidance perioperative management.

Abdominal Organ Transplantation: Noteworthy Literature in 2022

This review highlights noteworthy literature published in 2022 pertinent to anesthesiologists and critical care physicians caring for patients undergoing abdominal organ transplantation. We begin by exploring the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had across the field of abdominal organ transplantation, including the successful use of grafts procured from COVID-19-infected donors. In pancreatic transplantation, we highlight several studies on dexmedetomidine and ischemia-reperfusion injury, equity in transplantation, and medical management, as well as studies comparing pancreatic transplantation to islet cell transplantation. In our section on intestinal transplantation, we explore donor selection. Kidney transplantation topics include cardiovascular risk management, obesity, and intraoperative management, including fluid resuscitation, dexmedetomidine, and sugammadex. The liver transplantation section focuses on clinical trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses published in 2022 and covers a wide range of topics, including machine perfusion, cardiovascular issues, renal issues, and coagulation/transfusion.