Liver transplantation : official publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Randomized, multicenter trial comparing tacrolimus plus mycophenolate mofetil to tacrolimus plus steroids in hepatitis C virus-positive recipients of living donor liver transplantation.
The purpose of this prospective, randomized, multicenter trial was to evaluate the effects of a steroid-avoiding immunosuppression protocol on hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive recipients of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Seventy-five HCV-positive LDLT recipients were included in this study, and they were randomized to receive tacrolimus (TAC) plus a corticosteroid (ST; n = 35) or TAC plus mycophenolate mofetil (MMF; n = 40). Biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR) was treated with steroid pulse therapy in both groups. ⋯ HCC recurrence occurred for 1 patient from the ST group and 2 patients from the MMF group. HCV recurrence rates with a fibrosis stage ≥ F1 1 and 3 years after LDLT were 59.4% and 85.9%, respectively, for the ST group and 74.2% and 81.9%, respectively, for the MMF group (P = 0.57). In conclusion, our steroid-avoidance regimen had no apparent impact on LDLT outcomes for HCV-positive recipients.
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Survival of critically ill patients is significantly affected by prolonged ventilation. The goal of this study was the development of a respiratory risk score (RRS) for the prediction of 3-month mortality and prolonged ventilation after liver transplantation (LT). Two hundred fifty-four consecutive LT patients from a single center were retrospectively randomized into a training group for model design and a validation group. ⋯ The RSS was able to predict 3-month mortality [cutoff = 6.64, area under the (ROC) curve (AUROC) = 0.794] and prolonged ventilation (cutoff = 3.69, AUROC = 0.798) with sensitivities of 69% and 81%, specificities of 83% and 73%, and overall model correctness of 76% and 77%, respectively. In conclusion, this study provides the first prognostic model for the prediction of 3-month mortality and prolonged ventilation after LT with high sensitivity and specificity and good model accuracy. The application of the RRS to an external cohort would be desirable for its further validation and introduction as a clinical tool for intensive care resource planning and prognostic decision making.
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Thrombotic complications are more common in liver disease than might be expected because of the coagulopathy described by conventional coagulation tests. Some of these complications may be life-threatening. The phenomenon of hypercoagulation is associated with complications in many populations, but the incidence in liver transplant recipients is unclear. ⋯ It is unclear what bearing this condition has on thrombotic complications. Conventional coagulation tests have no ability to diagnose this condition. It is conceivable that such patients may come to harm if hypercoagulability is unrecognized and, therefore, inappropriately managed.