Liver transplantation : official publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society
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Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is a frequent complication after liver transplantation, but the risk factors of posttransplant NMSC have not been well defined. In a prospectively followed series of 170 liver transplant recipients, we assessed the incidence of NMSC, compared it with the expected incidence in the general population, and investigated which risk factors were related to NMSC. After a median follow-up of 62 months, 27 patients developed 43 NMSC. ⋯ In multivariate analysis, only skin type and total sun burden were independently related to NMSC. In conclusion, risk of posttransplant NMSC may be estimated combining skin type and an easy estimation of total sun burden. No individual immunosuppression regimen seems to be related to a higher risk of NMSC.
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Early identification of those patients with fulminant hepatic liver failure (FHF) who need a transplant greatly helps in their management. A number of prognostic criteria have recently been proposed, including arterial blood lactate and serum phosphate concentrations. To validate their use, we retrospectively studied 83 consecutive patients with FHF admitted to our intensive treatment unit between August 2000 and March 2003. ⋯ Within paracetamol overdose (POD) and non-POD subgroups, phosphate concentrations were not significantly higher in group II patients (P = 0.08 and P = 0.27, respectively), when compared to group I patients. In multivariate analysis, post admission 12-hour lactate level was the only predictor of survival for the POD subgroup, whereas in non-POD patients, 12-hour lactate and admission bilirubin levels were significant in predicting patients' outcome. In conclusion, we found that while serum phosphate concentrations have limited clinical utility as prognostic markers, persistently elevated arterial blood lactate levels despite adequate fluid resuscitation are indicators of a poor prognosis in FHF.
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Comparative Study
Stress-inducing factors in ICUs: what liver transplant recipients experience and what caregivers perceive.
The aim of this study was to compare a number of potentially stress-generating factors related to an intensive care unit (ICU) stay from the points of view of patients undergoing liver transplantation or elective major abdominal surgery and their caregivers in order to identify differences and similarities that may help to optimize patient care. The ICU Environmental Stressor Scale questionnaire was administered to 104 liver transplant recipients, 103 major abdominal surgery patients, 35 nurses and 21 physicians. The ICU staff were asked to complete the questionnaire on the basis of their perception of patient stressors. ⋯ The qualitative evaluations of potentially stress-inducing ICU situations were substantially the same in the 2 patient groups, but the transplant recipients seemed to feel them more acutely. Although the caregivers identified the most discomforting situations, they overestimated the degree of stress they cause. The staff of each ICU should therefore seek to understand and reduce (even by means of simple interventions) the particular causes of psychophysical stress felt by their patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Safety and efficacy of a single bolus administration of recombinant factor VIIa in liver transplantation due to chronic liver disease.
Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) can be associated with excessive blood loss. As a result, there may be increased risk of adverse outcomes. Activated recombinant factor VII (rFVIIa) has demonstrated the ability to improve hemostasis in a variety of disorders; however, there has been a limited amount of research into its use in OLT. ⋯ The number of adverse events was comparable between study groups. In conclusion, rFVIIa has a good safety profile in patients undergoing OLT. However, the doses studied did not have any effect on the number of RBC transfusions required.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Efficacy and safety of repeated perioperative doses of recombinant factor VIIa in liver transplantation.
Patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) have excessive blood loss during surgery that requires blood transfusions, leading to increased postoperative morbidity and mortality. We studied the efficacy and safety of activated recombinant factor VII (rFVIIa) in reducing transfusion requirements in OLT. This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled patients undergoing OLT because of cirrhosis (Child-Turcotte-Pugh class B or C). ⋯ Additionally, there was no statistically significant effect of rFVIIa treatment on hospitalization rate, total surgery time, and the proportion of patients undergoing retransplantation. In conclusion, use of rFVIIa during OLT significantly reduced the number of patients requiring RBC transfusion. There was no increase in thromboembolic events with rFVIIa administration compared with placebo.