Journal List > J Korean Soc Transplant > v.28(4) > 1034438

Lee, Jong, Choon, Joh, Dong, Joon, Mi, Seung, and Lee: Pre-transplant Predictors for 3-Month Mortality after Living Donor Liver Transplantation

Abstract

Background

High model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores (≥35) is closely associated with poor posttransplantation out-comes in patients who undergo living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). There is little information regarding factors that negatively impact the survival of patients with high MELD scores. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with 3-month mortality of patients after LDLT.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 774 patients who underwent adult LDLT with right lobe grafts between 1996 and 2012. Exclusion criteria were retransplantation, left graft, auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation, and inadequate medical recording. Preoperative variables were analyzed retrospectively.

Results

The overall 3-month survival rate was 92%. In univariate analysis, acute progression of disease, severity of hepatic encephalopathy, Child-Pugh class C, hepatorenal syndrome, use of continuous renal replacement therapy, use of ventilator, intensive care unit (ICU) care before transplantation, and MELD scores ≥35 were identified as potential risk factors. However, only ICU care before transplantation and MELD scores ≥35 were independent risk factors for 3-month mortality after LDLT. Three-month and 1-year patient survival rates for those with no risk factors were 95.5% and 88.6%, respectively. In contrast, patients with at least one risk factor had 3-month and 1-year patient survival rates of 88.4% and 81.1%, respectively, while patients with two risk factors had 3-month and 1-year patient survival rates of 55.6% and 55.6%, respectively.

Conclusions

Patients with both risk factors (ICU care before LDLT and MELD scores ≥35) should be cautiously considered for treatment with LDLT.

References

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Fig. 1.
(A) End-stage liver disease (MELD) scores and (B) patients with pretransplant intensive care unit (ICU) care on patient survival.
jkstn-28-226f1.tif
Fig. 2.
Patient survival with two risk factors which were high End-stage liver disease score (≥35) and pretransplant intensive care unit care when compared with those who had at least one risk factor or no risk factor.
jkstn-28-226f2.tif
Table 1.
Causes of 3-month mortality after living donor liver transplantation
Variable Number
Sepsis 19
Primary nonfunction 18
Brain death 5
Hepatic artery complications 5
Acute respiratory distress syndrome 4
Heart failure 3
Bleeding 2
Brain infarction 1
Subarachnoid hemorrhage 1
Pulmonary thromboembolism 1
Portal vein thrombosis 1
Hemothorax 1
Graft-versus-host disease 1
Hepatitis C virus recur 1
Table 2.
Comparison of patients with and without 3-month mortality after living donor liver transplantation
Variable 3-month mortality P-value
No (n=711) Yes (n=63)
Gender (male) 561 (79.0) 48 (76.2) 0.630
Recipient age 52 (18∼73) 48 (19∼69) 0.009
Diagnosis     0.000
Alcoholic 35 (4.9) 3 (4.8)  
HCC 358 (50) 25 (40)  
HBV 238 (33.5) 16 (25.4)  
HCV 13 (1.8) 4 (6.3)  
NBNC 8 (1.1) 0  
Autoimmune 10 (1.4) 0  
HAV 5 (0.7) 2 (3.2)  
HBV+HCV 5 (0.7) 1 (1.6)  
Others 39 (5.5) 12 (19.0)  
Progress     0.003
Acute 33 (4.6) 10 (15.9)  
Acute on chronic 34 (4.8) 7 (11.1)  
Cirrhosis 644 (90.6) 46 (73.0)  
Hypertension 63 (8.9) 10 (15.9) 0.074
Diabetes 136 (19.1) 14 (22.2) 0.511
Child-Pugh class     0.010
A 86 (12.1) 5 (7.9)  
B 249 (35.0) 14 (22.2)  
C 376 (52.9) 44 (69.8)  
MELD ≥35 73 (10.3) 21 (33.3) 0.000
Coexistence of HCC 359 (50.5) 25 (39.7) 0.115
Hepatic encephalopathy     0.008
None 503 (70.8) 34 (54.0)  
Grade 1∼2 173 (24.4) 19 (30.2)  
Grade 3∼4 34 (4.8) 10 (15.9)  
Varix bleeding 180 (25.3) 12 (19.0) 0.361
Ascites     0.124
None 210 (29.5) 24 (38.1)  
Diuretics controlled 293 (41.2) 25 (39.7)  
Diuretics uncontrolled 208 (29.3) 14 (22.2)  
Hepatorenal syndrome 29 (4.1) 12 (19.0) 0.000
Pretransplant dialysis 10 (1.4) 6 (9.5) 0.001
Pretransplant ventilator care 13 (1.8) 5 (7.9) 0.011
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis 123 (17.3) 11 (17.5) 0.974
Pretransplant ICU stay 49 (6.9) 24 (38.1) 0.000
GRWR <0.8 60 (8.5) 10 (16.1) 0.061

Data are presented as number (%) or median (range).

Abbreviations: HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; NBNC, non B non C; HAV, hepatitis A virus; MELD, model for end-stage liver disease; ICU, intensive care unit; GRWR, graft-to-recipient weight ratio.

Table 3.
Risk factors for hospital mortality after living donor liver transplantation by multivariate analysis
Variable Odds ratio 95% confidence interval P-value
Pretransplant ICU stay 8.487 4.674∼15.408 0.000
MELD ≥35 2.090 1.049∼4.164 0.036

Abbreviations: ICU, intensive care unit; MELD, model for end-stage liver disease.

Table 4.
Risk factor for 3-month mortality after living donor liver transplantation in patients requiring pretransplant intensive care
Variable 3-month mortality P-value
No (n=49) Yes (n=24)
Gender (male) 27 (55.1) 20 (83.3) 0.021
Recipient age 48 (19∼67) 45 (18∼69) 0.087
Diagnosis     0.615
Alcoholic 5 (10.2) 2 (8.3)  
HCC 6 (12.2) 4 (16.6)  
HBV 19 (38.8) 10 (41.7)  
HCV 0 1 (4.2)  
Autoimmune 2 (4.1) 0  
HAV 4 (8.2) 2 (8.3)  
Others 13 (26.5) 5 (20.8)  
Progress     0.432
Acute 18 (36.7) 7 (29.2)  
Acute on chronic 13 (26.5) 6 (25.0)  
Cirrhosis 18 (36.7) 11 (45.8)  
Hypertension 4 (8.2) 2 (8.3) 0.980
Diabetes 7 (14.3) 2 (8.3) 0.708
Child-Pugh class     0.152
A 1 (2.0) 0  
B 1 (2.0) 0  
C 47 (95.9) 24 (100)  
MELD ≥35 20 (40.8) 16 (66.7) 0.038
Coexistence of HCC 6 (12.2) 4 (16.7) 0.720
Hepatic encephalopathy     0.862
None 11 (22.4) 7 (29.2)  
Grade 1∼2 22 (44.9) 7 (29.2)  
Grade 3∼4 16 (32.7) 10 (41.7)  
Varix bleeding 12 (24.5) 5 (20.8) 0.728
Ascites     0.164
None 20 (40.8) 11 (45.8)  
Diuretic controlled 11 (22.4) 10 (41.7)  
Diuretics uncontrolled 18 (36.7) 3 (12.5)  
Hepatorenal syndrome 15 (30.6) 9 (37.5) 0.602
Pretransplant dialysis 9 (18.4) 6 (25.0) 0.547
Pretransplant ventilator care 9 (18.4) 5 (20.8) 0.802
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis 9 (18.4) 2 (8.3) 0.320
Pretransplant ICU stay (day) 2 (1∼15) 3 (1∼16) 0.052
GRWR <0.8 3 (6.4) 5 (21.7) 0.104

Data are presented as number (%) or median (range).

Abbreviations: HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; HAV, hepatitis A virus; MELD, model for end-stage liver disease; ICU, intensive care unit; GRWR, graft-to-recipient weight ratio.

Table 5.
Risk factors for 3-month mortality after living donor liver transplantation in patients treated in the general ward pretransplant
Variable 3-month mortality P-value
No (n=662) Yes (n=39)
Gender (male) 534 (80.8) 28 (71.8) 0.211
Recipient age 52 (18∼73) 50 (31∼68) 0.420
Diagnosis     0.000
Alcoholic 30 (4.5) 1 (2.6)  
HCC 352 (53.2) 21 (53.8)  
HBV 219 (33.1) 6 (15.4)  
HCV 13 (2.0) 3 (7.7)  
NBNC 8 (1.2) 0  
Autoimmune 8 (1.2) 0  
HAV 1 (0.2) 0  
HBV+HCV 5 (0.8) 1 (2.6)  
Others 26 (3.9) 7 (12.9)  
Progress     0.324
Acute 15 (2.3) 3 (7.7)  
Acute on chronic 21 (3.2) 1 (2.6)  
Cirrhosis 626 (94.6) 35 (89.7)  
Hypertension 59 (8.9) 8 (20.5) 0.025
Diabetes 129 (19.5) 12 (30.8) 0.088
Child-Pugh class     0.872
A 85 (12.8) 5 (12.8)  
B 248 (37.5) 14 (35.9)  
C 329 (49.7) 20 (51.3)  
MELD≥35 53 (8.0) 5 (12.8) 0.361
Coexistence of HCC 353 (53.3) 21 (53.8) 0.949
Hepatic encephalopathy     0.557
None 492 (74.4) 27 (69.2)  
Grade 1∼2 151 (22.8) 12 (30.8)  
Grade 2∼3 18 (2.7) 0  
Varix bleeding 168 (25.4) 7 (17.9) 0.346
Ascites     0.690
None 190 (28.7) 13 (33.3)  
Diuretic controlled 282 (42.6) 15 (38.5)  
Diuretics uncontrolled 190 (28.7) 11 (28.2)  
Hepatorenal syndrome 14 (2.1) 3 (7.7) 0.063
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis 114 (17.2) 9 (23.1) 0.384
GRWR <0.8 57 (8.6) 5 (12.8) 0.379

Data are presented as number (%) or median (range).

Abbreviations: HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; NBNC, non B non C; HAV, hepatitis A virus; MELD, model for end-stage liver disease; GRWR, graft-to-recipient weight ratio.

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