Hepatopulmonary Syndrome and Portopulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension as a predictor of postoperative complications and mortality after liver transplantation

Most transplant centers consider severe pulmonary hypertension (PHT) to be an absolute contraindication for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). We retrospectively examined the outcome of 24 patients with PHT (group 1) who underwent OLT compared with 24 matched patients (group 2) without PHT, who also underwent OLT. Based on right cardiac catheterization measurements made after the induction of anesthesia for OLT, PHT was defined as mild or moderate-to-severe if the mean pulmonary arterial pressure exceeded 25 or 35 mm Hg, respectively. The incidence of PHT was 9.8% (24/244); 21/24 PHT patients showed mild and 3/24 moderate PHT. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis did not show a significant difference between the two groups. The incidence of pulmonary infections was significantly greater in group 1 (P < .05). The duration of ventilation and intensive care unit stay was similar in the two groups. Echocardiography detected only the three moderate cases of PHT and not the twenty-one cases of mild PHT. Our analysis suggested that mild PHT was common and did not affect patient outcomes after OLT; moderate or severe PHT was uncommon. The two patients with moderate PHT survived OLT and did not succum to PHT during long-term follow-up.

Preoperative assessment of the patient with liver disease

Patients with liver disease are at appreciable risk when undergoing anesthesia and surgery. Attempts to quantify this risk have been thwarted by the diversity of disease states and illness severity that such patients bring to the operating theater and the myriad of procedures they may undergo. This review discusses the indications and contraindications for surgery in patients with liver disease and attempts to give specific recommendations for optimizing the clinical status of a patient with hepatic dysfunction prior to operative intervention.

Tolerance of liver transplant patients to strenuous physical activity in high-altitude

Physical functioning is improved after liver transplantation but studies comparing liver transplant recipients with normal healthy people are lacking. How liver (and other organ) transplant recipients tolerate strenuous physical activities is unknown. There are no data on the tolerance of transplant patients at high altitude. Six liver transplant subjects were selected to participate in a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro 5895 m, Tanzania. Physical performance and susceptibility to acute mountain sickness were prospectively compared with fifteen control subjects with similar profiles and matched for age and body mass index. The Borg-scale (a rating of perceived exertion) and cardiopulmonary parameters at rest were prospectively compared with six control subjects also matched for gender and VO2max. Immunosuppression in transplant subjects was based on tacrolimus. No difference was seen in physical performance, Borg-scales and acute mountain sickness scores between transplant and control subjects. Eight-three percent of transplant subjects and 84.6% of control subjects reached the summit (p=0.7). Oxygen saturation decreased whereas arterial blood pressure and heart rate increased with altitude in both groups. The only difference was the development of arterial hypertension in transplant subjects at 3950 m (p=0.036). Selected and well-prepared liver transplant recipients can perform strenuous physical activities and tolerate exposure to high altitude similar to normal healthy people.

Liver Transplantation for Cholestatic Liver Disease

Liver transplantation is an effective form of therapy for patients with end-stage cholestatic disease that improves both survival and quality of life. Liver transplantation is very effective for the treatment of intractable pruritus but less effective for the treatment of lethargy. Survival rates are good (more than 70% at 5 years); these patients are at greater risk of developing acute and chronic rejection and are more likely to require long-term immunosuppression. Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) recur in the graft. Recurrent PSC may be difficult to differentiate from secondary sclerosing cholangitis, but it recurs in up to 60% of patients at 5 years and may reduce graft survival. PBC recurrence, noted in up to 40% of patients at 10 years, has little effect on graft survival with respect to cancers. Patients with PSC are at greater risk of both colonic cancer (which may be reduced by ursodeoxycholic acid) and cholangiocarcinoma. Diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma before transplantation usually contraindicates transplantation. The main challenges facing liver transplantation are the need to expand the donor pool and the need to find immunosuppressive regimens with fewer long-term toxicities.