Type of donor liver transplant does not affect pregnancy outcomes-a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Liver transplant (LT) has become increasingly common among reproductive-aged women. The effect of the type of liver donor, either a living donor LT (LDLT) or a deceased donor LT, on pregnancy outcomes is unknown. As such, we aim to review the available literature and assess obstetric, pregnancy, or delivery outcomes in LDLT. We conducted a comprehensive literature review of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, and Scopus databases. Random-effect meta-regression assessed the association between the percentage of women who underwent LDLT (independent variable) and the proportion of outcomes. Meta-regression results were expressed as a regression coefficient, which transforms the proportion of outcomes of interest associated with a 1% increase in the percentage of LDLT patients. A value of 0 denotes no relationship between the outcomes and LDLT. A total of 6 articles (438 patients) were included, with a total of 806 pregnancies. Eighty-eight (20.09%) patients underwent LDLT. None of the studies segregated the data based on the type of donor LT. The median time from LT to pregnancy was 4.86 (4.62-5.03) years. Twelve (1.5%) stillbirths were reported. LDLT was statistically significantly associated with a higher rate of stillbirths (coefficient 0.002, p < 0.001; I 2 0%). The type of donor LT was not associated with an increased risk of other obstetric, pregnancy, or delivery complications. This is the first meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of the type of donor LT on pregnancy outcomes. This study highlights the lack of robust literature addressing this important topic. The results suggest that pregnancy outcomes after LDLT and deceased donor LT are comparable. Despite LDLT being statistically significantly associated with a higher rate of stillbirths, the association is weak and is unlikely to be clinically significant.

Refractory Hepatic Hydrothorax Is an Independent Predictor of Mortality When Compared to Refractory Ascites.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic hydrothorax (HHT) is an uncommon but significant complication of cirrhosis and portal hypertension, associated with a worse prognosis and mortality. Nearly 25% of patients with HHT will have refractory pleural effusion. It is unclear if refractory HHT has a different prognosis compared to refractory ascites. AIMS: We aim to evaluate the prognostic significance of refractory HHT when compared to refractory ascites. METHODS: Forty-seven patients who had refractory HHT in a tertiary care center were identified, and matched, retrospectively, one-to-one by age, gender and MELD-Na with 47 patients with refractory ascites. One-year mortality rate was compared between both groups. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to identify the association between different covariates and primary endpoint. RESULTS: The 1-year mortality was 51.06% in the HHT group compared to 19.15% in the refractory ascites group. The median survival for patients with refractory hepatic hydrothorax was 4.87 months while the median survival for patients with refractory ascites exceeded 1 year. The presence of HHT was statistically significant in predicting the development of 1-year mortality [Hazard Ratio (HR) 4.45, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 2.25-8.82; P value < 0.001]. Furthermore, refractory HHT remained associated with one-year mortality after adjusting for all other covariates. In a subgroup of patients with MELD-Na ≤ 20, HHT continued to be a significant predictor of one-year mortality (HR 3.30, 95% CI 1.47-7.40; P value 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Refractory HHT is a significant independent predictor of mortality and offers additional prognostic value.

Secondary Prophylaxis of Gastric Variceal Bleeding: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

There is no clear consensus regarding the optimal approach for secondary prophylaxis of gastric variceal bleeding (GVB) in patients with cirrhosis. We conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare the efficacy of available treatments. A comprehensive search of several databases from each database's inception to March 23, 2021, was conducted to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Outcomes of interest were rebleeding and mortality. Results were expressed as relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). We followed the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach to rate the certainty of evidence. We included 9 RCTs with 647 patients who had histories of GVB and follow-ups >6 weeks. A total of 9 interventions were included in the NMA. Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) was associated with a lower risk of rebleeding when compared with ß-blockers (RR, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.01-0.26; low certainty), and endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS)-cyanoacrylate (CYA) (RR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.04-0.77; low certainty). ß-blockers were associated with a higher risk of rebleeding compared with most interventions and with increased mortality compared with EIS-CYA (RR, 4.12, 95% CI, 1.50-11.36; low certainty), and EIS-CYA + nonselective ß-blockers (RR, 5.61; 95% CI, 1.91-16.43; low certainty). Analysis based on indirect comparisons suggests that BRTO may be the best intervention in preventing rebleeding, whereas ß-blocker monotherapy is likely the worst in preventing rebleeding and mortality. Head-to-head RCTs are needed to validate these results.