Liver transplant with controlled donors after circulatory death with normothermic regional perfusion and brain dead donors: A multicenter cohort study of transfusion, one-year graft survival and mortality.

BACKGROUND: Controlled donation after circulatory death (cDCD) has expanded the donor pool for liver transplantation (LT). However, transfusion requirements and perioperative outcomes should be elucidated. The aim of this multicenter study was to assess red blood cell (RBC) transfusions, one-year graft and patient survival after LT after cDCD with normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) compared with donors after brain death (DBD). METHODS: 591 LT carried out in ten centers during 2019 were reviewed. Thromboelastometry was used to manage coagulation and blood product transfusion in all centers. Normothermic regional perfusion was the standard technique for organ recovery. RESULTS: 447 patients received DBD and 144 cDCD with NRP. Baseline MCF Extem was lower in the cDCD group There were no differences in the percentage of patients (63% vs. 61% p = 0.69), nor in the number of RBC units transfused (4.7 (0.2) vs 5.5 (0.4) in DBD vs cDCD, p = 0.11. Twenty-six patients (6%) died during admission for LT in the DBD group compared with 3 patients (2%) in the cDCD group (p = 0.15). To overcome the bias due to a worse coagulation profile in cDCD recipients, matched samples were compared. No differences in baseline laboratory data, or in intraoperative use of RBC or one-year outcome data were observed between DBD and cDCD recipients. CONCLUSIONS: cDCD with NRP is not associated with increased RBC transfusion. No differences in graft and patient survival between cDCD and DBD were found. Donors after controlled circulatory death with NRP can increasingly be utilized with safety, improving the imbalance between organ donors and the ever-growing demand.

Baseline haemoglobin and thromboelastometry are predictive of red blood cell requirements and one-year mortality in liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: To determine the predictive capacity of baseline haemoglobin and maxim clot firmness (MCF) EXTEM thromboelastometry for intraoperative red blood cell (RBC) requirements and its influence on mortality. METHODS: 591 adult liver transplant (LT) recipients from ten Spanish centres were reviewed. The main outcomes were the percentage of patients who received RBC and massive transfusion (≥ 6 RBC units), RBC units transfused, and mortality. RESULTS: 76 % received a donor after brain death graft and 24 % a controlled donor after circulatory death graft. Median (interquartile ranges) RBC transfusion was 2 (0-4) units, and 63 % of patients were transfused. Comparing transfused and non-transfused patients, mean (standard deviation) for baseline haemoglobin was 10.4 (2.1) vs. 13.0 (1.9) g/dl (p = 0.001), EXTEM MCF was 51(11) vs. 55(9) mm (p = 0.001). Haemoglobin and EXTEM MCF were inversely associated with the need of transfusion odds ratio (OR) of 0.558 (95 % CI 0.497-0.627, p < 0.001) and OR 0.966 (95 % CI0.945-0.987, p = 0.002), respectively. Pre-operative baseline haemoglobin ≤ 10 g/dL predicted RBC transfusion, sensitivity of 93 % and specificity of 47 %. Massive transfusion (MT) was received by 19 % of patients. Haemoglobin ≤10 g/dL predicted MT with sensitivity 73 % and specificity of 52 %. One-year patient and graft survival were significantly lower in patients who required MT (78 % and 76 %, respectively) vs. those who did not (94 % and 93 %, respectively). DISCUSSION: whereas EXTEM MCF is less dreterminant predicting RBC requirements, efforts are required to improve preoperative haemoglobin up to 10 g/dl in patients awaiting LT.