• Guy Cammu, Johan Decruyenaere, Roberto Troisi, Bernard de Hemptinne, Francis Colardyn, and Eric Mortier.
• Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care Medicine and Department of Surgery, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. Guy.Cammu@olvz-aalst.be
• J Clin Anesth. 2003 Nov 1; 15 (7): 515-9.

Study ObjectiveTo evaluate whether our criteria for immediate postoperative extubation predicts successful extubation in living-related liver transplantation of the right lobe, and to test the effects of our standardized anesthetic technique on the success of immediate postoperative extubation.DesignOpen-label, descriptive study.SettingUniversity hospital.Patients6 ASA physical status III and IV patients with end-stage liver disease undergoing living-related liver transplantation of the right lobe.InterventionsPatients received a standardized anesthetic technique with propofol, remifentanil, and cisatracurium. They were extubated when they met our criteria for immediate postoperative extubation: good donor liver function, <10 U packed red blood cells administered, hemodynamic stability, and alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient <200 mmHg.Measurements And Main ResultsAt the end of surgery, four of the six patients fulfilled our criteria for immediate postoperative extubation. They were uneventfully extubated rapidly after surgery and soon arrived in the intensive care unit. Their postoperative stay in the operating room was only 36 minutes (range: 30 to 42 min). No patient required reintubation in the operating room or the intensive care unit. They had no recorded hemodynamic or respiratory problems postoperatively.ConclusionsImmediate extubation of selected living-related liver transplant recipients can be a safe procedure. Anesthetic management to immediate extubation seems appropriate and the derived guidelines appear acceptable.

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