Restrictive intraoperative fluid intake in liver surgery and postoperative renal function: A propensity score matched study.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in hepatic surgery. In hepatic surgery, relative hypovolemia may help to limit blood loss, but the consequences of restrictive fluid intake are unknown. The goal of this study was to determine the influence of intraoperative fluid intake on the incidence of AKI and its consequences. METHODS: Data from 397 consecutive patients who underwent liver resection were prospectively recorded and retrospectively analyszed. We compared the incidence of postoperative acute kidney failure in patients given restrictive (≤ 5 mL/kg/h) versus liberal (> 5 mL/kg/h) fluid therapy. We calculated a 1:1 match propensity score using logistic regression to estimate the likelihood of patients receiving restrictive or liberal intraoperative fluid intakes. The association between the intraoperative fluid intake strategy and occurrence of postoperative AKI were tested using a Cox frailty model on the database of matched patients. RESULTS: Postoperative AKI was diagnosed in 133 of the 397 patients. Fluid intake strategy was restrictive for 121 patients and liberal for 276 patients. After propensity score matching to balance confounding factors, the liberal strategy was associated with a significantly lower risk for postoperative AKI compared to the restrictive strategy (Hazard Ratio 0.40 [0.29; 0.56], P<0.001). Patients with postoperative AKI had longer hospital stays and higher mortality. There were no cases of further blood loss in the liberal fluid intake group. CONCLUSIONS: A restrictive fluid intake strategy is a risk factor for developing postoperative AKI, with serious consequences, without reducing blood loss in liver surgery.

Pulmonary infection after hepatic resection: Associated factors and impact on outcomes.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Postoperative pulmonary complications are frequent after hepatectomy. The aim of this retrospective study was to use preoperative and intraoperative data to establish specific factors associated with post-hepatectomy pneumonia (PHPN). METHODS: Patients underwent minor or major hepatectomy for cancer or non-cancer treatment. Surgical procedure was performed by laparoscopy or laparotomy. PHPN was defined as a new radiologic finding associated with fever, leucocytosis and purulent bronchial secretions. The incidence, associated factors and prognosis of PHPN were investigated. RESULTS: In 399 patients undergoing planned hepatectomy, 49 (12.3%) developed pneumonia. Of 81 patients (20.3%) with cirrhosis, 77 were Child-Pugh A and 4 were Child-Pugh B. Hepatectomy indication was cancer in 331 patients (of which metastasis in 213). Laparoscopy rate was 31.3%. In multivariate analysis, the main factors statistically associated with PHPN were: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (odds ratio [OR] = 4.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.60-10.84; P = 0.003), intraoperative blood transfusion (OR = 2.46; 95% CI 1.01-5.70; P = 0.001), laparotomy (OR = 3.01; 95% CI 1.09-8.27; P = 0.03), and nasogastric tube maintained at day 1 (OR = 2.09; 95% CI 1.03-4.22; P = 0.04). Length of stay was significantly different between groups without PHPN (10.2 days) versus with PHPN (26.4 days; P < 0.001). Intra-hospital and one-year mortality were greater in the PHPN group than the pneumonia-free group (8.16 vs 0% and 18.4 vs 3.4%, respectively; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: COPD, transfusion and laparotomy (versus laparoscopy) are factors associated with PHPN and impaired survival.

Risk factors for pulmonary complications after hepatic resection: role of intraoperative hemodynamic instability and hepatic ischemia.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative operative pulmonary complications (PPCs) after hepatic surgery are associated with increased length of hospital stays. Intraoperative blood transfusion, extensive resection and different comorbidities have been identified. Other parameters, like time of hepatic ischemia, have neither been clinically studied, though experimental studies show that hepatic ischemia can provide lung injury. The objective of this study was to determinate the risk factors of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) after hepatic resection within 7 postoperative days. METHOD: Ninety-four patients consecutively who underwent elective hepatectomy between January and December 2013. Demographic data, pathological variables, and preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables had been prospectively collected in a data base. The dependant variables studied were the occurrence of PPCs, defined before analysis of the data. RESULTS: PPCs occurred in 32 (34%) patients. A multivariate analysis allowed identifying the risk factors for PPCs. On multivariate analysis, preoperative gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) elevation OR =5,12 [1,85-15,69] p = 0,002, liver ischemia duration OR = 1,03 [1,01-1,06] p = 0,01 and the intraoperative use of vasopressor OR = 4,40 [1,58-13,36] p = 0,006 were independently associated with PPCs. For every 10 min added in ischemia duration, the OR of the risk of PPCs was estimated to be 1.37 (CI95% = [1.08-1.81], p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Three risk factors for PPCs have been identified in a population undergoing liver resection: preoperative GGT elevation, ischemia duration and the intraoperative use of vasopressor. PPCs after liver surgery could be related to lung injury induced by liver ischemia reperfusion and not solely by direct infectious process. That could explain why factors influencing directly or indirectly liver ischemia were independently associated with PPCs.