Postoperative troponin T elevation as a predictor of early acute kidney injury after orthotopic liver transplantation: a preliminary retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Slight alterations in cardiac enzymes are frequently observed perioperatively among liver transplant patients. The significance of these changes in the absence of ongoing acute cardiac pathology is unknown. We sought to evaluate the link between early postoperative anomalies of serum cardiac troponin T (cTnT) in the absence of an evident cardiac cause and kidney injury during the first week of hospital stay. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 30 patients in the study, recording several perioperative variables, particularly cTnT on intensive care unit ICU arrival as well as 6 and 12 hours later. We grouped patients with cTnT levels >0.03 ng/mL as the high-TnT group; the others were control subjects. We recorded the highest serum creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and bilirubin levels during the first week of the hospital stay. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated according to the Cockroft-Gault formula. RESULTS: Ten patients composed the high-TnT group. Their perioperative variables showed higher Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores and significantly greater incidences of acute kidney injury, failure, and dialysis need than control patients. GFR dropped from 118 to 66 mL/min among this group versus 112 to 105 mL/min in control subjects (P = .021). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed a higher association between the high-TnT group and acute kidney injury (P = .036) than with the MELD score (P = .719). CONCLUSIONS: Serum cTnT levels could be influenced by both preoperative and intraoperative conditions that predispose to kidney injury.

Anesthesia for liver transplantation: the experience of the University of Bologna in the MELD era.

AIM: The hepatic cirrhosis is associated with an important cardiovascular alterations. In this report, we review our transplant center experience with liver transplantation in the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) era, in particular this study investigate the relationship between severity of liver disease assessed by MELD score and postoperative events. METHODS: Our retrospective review was performed on 242 cirrhotic patients underwent liver transplanation at the Department of Surgery and Transplantation of the University of Bologna. Biochemical and hemodynamic variables were evaluated by Swan-Ganz catherization. Dindo's classification of postoperative complications was used for the evaluation of postoperative course. RESULTS: Morbidity occurred in 158 patients (65.2%) and 13 patients died during the hospital stay. Considering the highest grade of complication occurred, non life-threatening complications occurred in the 47.9% of cases (116 patients) and life-threatening complications, excluding patient death, in 17.3% (42 patients). Patients with MELD >30 showed a longer ICU stay, tracheal intubation and in-hospital stay. CONCLUSION: In conclusion MELD score is tightly related to postoperative complications.

Fluid management of patients undergoing intestinal and multivisceral transplantation.

Small bowel transplantation can be associated with large fluid shifts due to massive blood loss, dehydration, vascular clamping, long ischemia times, intraoperative visceral exposure, intestinal denervation, ischemic damage, and lymphatic interruption. Fluid management is the major intra- and postoperative problem after small bowel and multiple organ transplantation, because of the highly variable fluid and electrolyte needs of the transplant recipient. Third-space fluid requirements can be massive; inadequate replacement leads to end-organ dysfunction, particularly renal failure. Several liters of fluid may be required in the initial 24 to 48 hours postoperatively to simply maintain an adequate central pressure to provide a satisfactory urine output. During this time patients may develop extensive peripheral edema, which dissipates over the next few days as the fluids are mobilized and requirements stabilize. Based on our experience in 29 cases of intestinal transplantation and 4 cases of multivisceral transplantation, we have herein described the intraoperative fluid management and hemodynamic changes. Our study confirmed a large quantity of fluid administration during and after small bowel transplantation that required adequate volume monitoring.

Acute renal failure after liver transplantation in MELD era.

Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score was used in our center from 2003 to assess the position of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) candidates on a waiting list. A key component of MELD score in the assessment of the degree of the illness is renal function. In this study, we measured the effects of this new scoring system on renal function and therapeutic strategies. We evaluated the incidence of acute renal function (ARF) after OLT requiring renal replacement therapy (hemofiltration or hemodialysis) in two patient groups: 240 transplanted before MELD era and 224 after the introduction of this parameter to select candidates. ARF occurred in 8.3% of patients in the pre-MELD group versus 13% in the MELD group, while the mortality rates were 40% and 27%, respectively. The creatinine level before OLT seemed to be a good predictor of ARF (P < .001), and blood transfusion rates (P < .05) as well as intraoperative diuresis (P < .05). In our analysis we did not observe a correlation between MELD score and postoperative ARF.

The use of prostaglandins in the immediate postsurgical liver transplant period.

INTRODUCTION: Experimental evidence has suggested that prostaglandins have positive effects on hepatic perfusion after transplantation. However, randomized clinical trials have failed to show their usefulness to decrease the incidence of primary nonfunction. In order to demonstrate its therapeutic role, we performed a clinical study in which PGE1 was administered only after the appearance of posttransplant liver dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients with macroscopic signs of hypoperfusion or lacking bile production at the end of the operation (n = 24) or with an increase in transaminases and fall in biliary production in the first 24 hours postsurgery (n = 16) were administered alprostadil (PGE1; 0.01 mug/kg/min to the maximum plateau of 0.06 mug/kg/min). We measured the mean values of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), activated thromboplastin time-ratio (aPTT-r), international normalized ratio (INR), bilirubin, creatinine and plasma nitrogen, PaO(2)/FiO(2) at the start of the treatment and every 6 hours for 48 hours, and daily diuresis. RESULTS: There appeared to be a significant decrease in AST, INR, aPTT-r, and creatinine clearance (P < .05), while there was a significant rise in the blood urea nitrogen (P < .001). ALT and bilirubin did not show significant variations. The PaO(2)/FiO(2) ratio showed a significant decrease (P < .001) in pulmonary vasodilatation. CONCLUSIONS: Prostaglandins used in the manner in our study showed a significant efficiency to improve liver dysfunction after transplantation.