P0627INTRAOPERATIVE DIALYSIS DURING LIVER TRANSPLANTATION IS SAFE AND BENEFICIAL

Background and Aims

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLt) is a technically complex surgical procedure associated with a major risk of hemodynamic instability and metabolic derangement, especially in patients with coexisting renal dysfunction. It remains uncertain if intraoperative renal replacement therapy (ioRRT) during OLt could be beneficial and in which subset of patients.

Method

A retrospective observational study of all adult patients undergoing intraoperative renal replacement therapy during OLt in our center from January 2010 till December 2018. IoRRT consisted of dialysis performed with the use of mobile Genius® single-pass batch dialysis system.

Results

1319 OLts were conducted during the study period and 129 patients (9,8%) were treated with intraoperative dialysis. Seven patients with incomplete documentation were excluded from the study. The mean age of the cohort was 47,8±14,7 years, and 73 (60%) of patients were men. The mean calculated MELD score was 33,7±12,5. 41 procedures (33,6%) were retransplantations and 7 patients underwent simultaneous liver and kidney transplantation. 18 (14,7%) recipients had fulminant liver failure. 66 (54,1%) of patients were admitted to Intensive Care Unit before transplantation. The mean preoperative serum creatinine level was 2,95±1,15 mg/dl and 95 (78%) patients were undergoing renal replacement therapy or had creatinine level ≥2 mg/dl preoperatively. Others required emergent ioRRT due to intraoperative complications and development of significant hyperkalemia or acidosis. The mean preoperative serum potassium concentration was 4,23±0,68 mmol/l and the mean bicarbonate level was 19,8±4,5 mmol/l. Intraoperative dialysis was performed without anticoagulation. The mean surgical time was 400±90,6 minutes and the mean ioRRT duration remained 308 ±109 minutes. Dialysis circuit clotting occurred in 9 (7,3%) cases. There were no other adverse events of ioRRT. Achieved mean arterial bicarbonate and potassium levels after graft reperfusion were 18,5±3,6 and 3,8±0,95 mmol/l, respectively. In 111 cases dialysis was initiated at least 15 minutes before reperfusion. 13% of this subgroup (16 pts) experienced post-reperfusion syndrome (defined as a decrease in the mean arterial pressure of more than 30% of the baseline, occurring within first 5 minutes after the reperfusion of the graft and lasting at least 1 minute).

Conclusion

Our data suggests that intraoperative dialysis in severely ill patients with high MELD score is safe and effective. Lower than expected post-reperfusion syndrome occurrence needs to be confirmed in a study designed with appropriate control group.

Intraoperative Dialysis During Liver Transplantation

BACKGROUND

Orthotopic liver transplantation (LT) is a technically complex surgical procedure associated with a major risk of hemodynamic instability and metabolic derangement, especially in patients with coexisting renal dysfunction. Some centers have applied intraoperative renal replacement therapy (ioRRT) to support patients with preoperative renal failure and prevent critical complications. Although there is a strong theoretical rationale for this treatment, there remains a paucity of definite data demonstrating its benefits.

METHODS

This was a retrospective observational study of all adult patients undergoing intraoperative dialysis in our center from January 2010 till December 2016.

RESULTS

The study group consisted of 88 patients with a mean MELD score of 31.4. Six patients underwent simultaneous liver and kidney transplantation. Forty-four (50%) recipients were admitted to the intensive care unit before transplantation, and 19 (21.6%) needed mechanical ventilation. Twenty-eight (31.8%) of the procedures were retransplantations, and 40 (45.4%) patients had been undergoing renal replacement therapy before LT. The mean preoperative serum creatinine was 2.82 ± 1.13 mg/dL. The majority of patients (54.5%) was operated on using the veno-venous bypass technique. The mean arterial blood pH and potassium levels after reperfusion were 7.2 ± 0.12 and 4.04 ± 0.95 mmol/L, respectively. Postreperfusion syndrome (PRS) occurred in 11 (13.9%) patients in whom dialysis started at least 15 minutes before reperfusion. Dialysis circuit clotting occurred in 9.1% of cases. There were no other adverse events of ioRRT.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggests that intraoperative dialysis in severely ill patients with a high MELD score is safe and effective. Lower than expected PRS occurrence needs to be confirmed in a study with a control group.

Evolution Of The Results Of 1500 Liver Transplantations Performed In The Department Of General, Transplant And Liver Surgery Medical University Of Warsaw

Liver transplantation is a well-established treatment of patients with end-stage liver disease and selected liver tumors. Remarkable progress has been made over the last years concerning nearly all of its aspects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the evolution of long-term outcomes after liver transplantations performed in the Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery (Medical University of Warsaw).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Data of 1500 liver transplantations performed between 1989 and 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Transplantations were divided into 3 groups: group 1 including first 500 operations, group 2 including subsequent 500, and group 3 comprising the most recent 500. Five year overall and graft survival were set as outcome measures.

RESULTS

Increased number of transplantations performed at the site was associated with increased age of the recipients (p<0.001) and donors (p<0.001), increased rate of male recipients (p<0.001), and increased rate of piggyback operations (p<0.001), and decreased MELD (p<0.001), as well as decreased blood (p=0.006) and plasma (p<0.001) transfusions. Overall survival was 71.6% at 5 years in group 1, 74.5% at 5 years in group 2, and 85% at 2.9 years in group 3 (p=0.008). Improvement of overall survival was particularly observed for primary transplantations (p=0.004). Increased graft survival rates did not reach the level of significance (p=0.136).

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term outcomes after liver transplantations performed in the Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery are comparable to those achieved in the largest transplant centers worldwide and are continuously improving despite increasing recipient age and wider utilization of organs procured from older donors.

Perioperative bleeding in patients undergoing liver transplantation

Liver transplantation (LT) remains one of the most challenging surgical procedures. For many years uncontrolled bleeding and catastrophic haemorrhages were one of the major causes of perioperative mortality and morbidity. During the past fifty years or so, significant progress in surgical techniques and perioperative management has led to a marked change in transfusion practice over time, where up to 79.6% of LTs in experienced transplant centers are performed without any blood product transfusion. Despite this, perioperative bleeding and transfusion requirements remain potent predictors of patient's mortality, as well as postoperative complications and graft survival. The major impact of blood product transfusion on LT recipient outcomes implies that all patients on waiting lists should be carefully screened for the presence of risk factors of perioperative bleeding. Although multiple predictors of transfusion requirements during LT have been identified, no predictive model validated across centers has been constructed. The most suitable strategies to reduce intraoperative blood loss in this group should be employed on a case-to-case basis. This paper aims to summarize the most up-to-date evidence in the management of haemostasis in LT recipients.

Results of liver transplantation in the Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery at the Medical University of Warsaw in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C viruses infection

INTRODUCTION

Cirrhosis related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most frequent indication for liver transplantation worldwide. Progress in prophylaxis of posttransplant HBV recurrence has led to major improvements in long-term outcomes of patients after liver transplantation. Conversely, impaired posttransplant survival of patients with HCV infection was reported in several studies, mainly due to recurrence of viral infection. The purpose of this study was to compare long-term results of liver transplantation between patients with HBV monoinfection, HCV monoinfection and HBV/HCV coinfection.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 1090 liver transplantations were performed in the Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery in cooperation with the Department of Immunology, Internal Medicine, and Transplantology at the Transplantation Institute Medical University of Warsaw between December 1994 and May 2012. After exclusion of patients with cirrhosis of non-viral etiology, patients with malignant tumors, and patients with acute liver failure, the final study cohort comprised 209 patients with HBV (HBV+/HCV- subgroup; n = 56) or HCV (HBV-/HCV+ subgroup; n = 119) monoinfection or HBV/HCV coinfection (HBV+/HCV+; n = 34). These subgroups of patients were compared in terms of long-term results of transplantations, defined by 5-year patient and 5-year graft survival estimates.

RESULTS

Overall and graft survival rates after 5-years for the whole study cohort were 74.5% and 72.6%, respectively. Five-year overall survival was 70.4% for patients within the HBV+/HCV- subgroup, 77.8% for patients within the HBV-/HCV+ subgroup, and 68.5% for patients within the HBV+/HCV+ subgroup. The corresponding rates of graft survival were 67.0%, 76.3%, and 68.5% for patients within the HBV+/HCV-, HBV-/ HCV+, and HBV+/HCV+ subgroups, respectively. Observed differences were non-significant, both in terms of overall (p = 0.472) and graft (p = 0.461) survival rates.

CONCLUSIONS

Both overall and graft survival rates after liver transplantations performed in the Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery in cooperation with the Department of Immunology, Internal Medicine, and Transplantology at the Transplantation Institute Medical University of Warsaw in patients with HBV and HCV infection are comparable to those reported by other European and American centers. In contrast to other studies, obtained results do not confirm the negative impact of HCV infection on long-term outcomes of patients.

The use Prometheus FPSA system in the treatment of acute liver failure: preliminary results

The preliminary outcomes of patients with acute liver failure treated with the Prometheus Fractionated Plasma Separation and Absorption (FPSA) system are presented herein.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The procedures were performed in 13 patients (4, intoxication by Amanita phalloides; 4, unknown reason; 3, acetaminophen intoxication; 1, Wilson disease, and 1, liver insufficiency after hemihepatectomy owing to metastases of colon adenocarcinoma). The patients were qualified for the procedure according to the King's College Hospital criteria. The patients' general status was assessed on basic of GCS, UNOS, and the 4-grade encephalopathy classifications. The procedures were performed with the Prometheus 4008H Fresenius Medical Care unit.

RESULTS

The 29 procedures were of mean duration 6.5 hours. There were statistically significant reductions in total bilirubin, ammonia, and aminotransferase levels. In addition, the procedures corrected water, mineral, and carbohydrate disorders. One patient did not require liver transplantation. Seven patients received liver transplants: three patients with positive outcomes; two died due to septicemia within 30 days perioperatively, one died at 6 months after OLT owing to respiratory failure; and one, owing to hemorrhagic diathesis. Four patients did not receive a liver transplant because of lack of a organ, no consent for the surgery, or neoplastic disease with metastases.

CONCLUSIONS

The Prometheus FPSA-System was an effective detoxication method for patients with acute liver failure. The system was useful as a symptomatic treatment before liver transplantation allowing a longer wait for a graft.

Orthotopic Liver Transplantation for Fulminant Hepatic Failure

This paper presents the results of liver transplantation for fulminant hepatic failure in 31 patients qualified as UNOS-1 class (extra-urgent indication for transplantation), operated from January 1989 to April 2005. Twenty-one patients (61.8%) survived the 3-month postoperative period. Three-year survival rate with good liver graft function was 52.9% (18 patients). Before the transplantation, eight patients (23.5%) underwent hepatic dialysis using Fractionated Plasma Separation and Adsorption (FPSA) with the use of a Prometheus 4008H System. Liver transplantation remains the only life-saving procedure for the treatment of fulminant liver failure, regardless of its cause.

The impact of experience of a transplantation center on the outcomes of orthotopic liver transplantation

The so-called learning factor has been disregarded for many years in analyzing the causes of surgical complications and post-operative mortality; it is also the case for OLT. In our center until April 2003, 209 OLT were performed in 196 patients. We evaluated the impact of experience of the transplantation team on the outcomes of liver transplantation. Thirty-four patients died (mortality rate, 16%) and 1-year survival rate, 64%. Mortality rates varied during different periods of observation due to increasing experience of the transplantation team. The causes of mortality were assessed for a series of 34 patients: it was 75% at the beginning of transplantation procedures while recent deaths have not recently exceeded 10% of cases.

Orthotopic liver transplantation for acute liver failure resulting from "acute fatty liver of pregnancy"

Steatosis of the liver, demonstrating itself as the acute liver failure during the third trimester of pregnancy (Acute Fatty Liver of Pregnancy--AFLP) is a rarely observed liver pathology. Herewith we describe the case of a 19-years old pregnant patient with this rare disease. The authors present the clinical course, dynamics, diagnostics, and outcome of treatment in this unique case. In this patient the ultimate treatment chosen was the liver transplantation. The opinions, concerning liver transplantation in AFLP (expressed in the world literature) are somewhat controversial. This paper presents the first case of AFLP treatment with orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx) in Poland.