Long-Term Complications and Survival of Patients After Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

Introduction

The survival rates among patients after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) has increased to 83% and 75% at 1 and 5 years, respectively. However, these patients are at increased risk of long-term complications.

Objective

To identify long-term complications and survivals among patients after OLT.

Methods

From September 1999 to July 2009 we evaluated long-term complications among 78 consecutive patients after OLT including 46 males.

Results

Complications de novo after OLT were metabolic (n = 38; 67%), infections (n = 13; 23%), recurrent liver disease (n = 12; 21%), osteopenia/osteoporosis (n = 10; 18%), acute/chronic rejection (n = 8; 14%), renal failure (n = 2; 4%) and Kaposi's sarcoma (n = 1). Their overall survival at 118 months was 55%.

Conclusions

The most common long-term complications after OLT were metabolic, infections, and disease recurrence.     

Enteral Nutrition Improves Clinical Outcome and Shortens Hospital Stay After Cancer Surgery

ABSTRACT

Background and Aims: The aim of our study was to investigate whether medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) and protein-enriched enteral nutrition (EN) could improve protein level and clinical outcomes in postoperative patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Material and Methods: A randomized clinical trial was performed. A population of 229 patients with gastrointestinal cancer was enrolled and allocated to two groups: (a) 114 patients received MCT and protein-enriched EN (Group I) and (b) 115 patients received an isocaloric EN (Group II). The total calorie was 25 kcal/kg/day and the time period of full dose of EN must be at least five days. Results: The three plasma proteins were improved after the EN support in both groups (p < .05). But, the increase of prealbumin in Group I was higher than that in Group II (p < .05). Episodes of diarrhea rate were equal and the postoperative infectious complications were not different between both groups. The length of hospital stay was shorter in Group I (18.4 ± 12 vs. 24.5 ± 15 d; p < .05). Conclusions: MCT and protein-enriched EN improves the prealbumin level and shortens the length of hospital stay in patients with gastrointestinal cancer without a high rate of adverse reaction, which may be due to high content of MCT and protein in EN.     

Age Matching Improves Graft Survival After Living Donor Kidney Transplantation

Background

Donor and recipient age in kidney transplantation are known to affect graft and patient survival. To address the question of whether the age difference between donor and recipient impacts on graft survival and death-censored graft survival after transplantation, we examined the impact of age matching (less than 10-year age difference) on the survivals after living donor kidney transplantation.

Methods

Two hundred one cases of the primary living donor kidney transplantation were performed and were divided into two groups, age-matched (n = 123) versus age-discrepant (n = 78). Variables included in this study were age, gender, body weight, height, kidney disease, type and duration of dialysis before transplantation, degree of human leukocyte antigen mismatch, ischemic time, graft weight, episode of rejection, type of immunosuppression, recipient serum creatinine after transplantation, and causes of patient death and graft loss.

Results

We observed the disparities of graft survival (P = .008) and death-censored graft survival (P = .003) between the groups. One-, 3-, and 5-year death-censored graft survival was 100%, 100%, and 97% in the age-matched group, respectively; and 97%, 90%, and 88% in the age-discrepant group, respectively. By Cox regression multivariate analysis, the variable of age-matching was an independent predictor for both graft survival (ß = 1.325, P = .017) and death-censored graft survival (ß = 2.217, P = .021).

Conclusion

During living donor and recipient matching, age difference between donor and recipient should be minimized.     

外科手术后早期肠内营养

肠内或称经肠营养(enteral nutrition)是经胃肠道用口服或管饲来提供可满足、超过或补充代谢需要的营养基质及其他各种营养素的营养方式。经过漫长的临床实践与技术发展，肠内营养的优越性越来越为人们所重视。“如果肠道有功能，就应使用肠道”的原则已为大多数临床医师所接受。近年来外科术后早期肠内营养(carly cnteral nutrition)的研究亦有较多的进展。     

Renal Dysfunction After Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

Background

Identification of risk factors of acute renal failure (ARF) after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) may avoid the development and attenuate the impact on patient outcome. Therefore, the incidence and risk factors of ARF after OLT at Siriraj Hospital were analyzed.

Methods

The study was retrospectively analyzed from the OLT patients at the Siriraj Hospital between January 2002 and December 2009. ARF was defined as an increased in serum creatinine level more than 1.5 times within the first week postoperation compared with the preoperative level.

Results

A total of 81 liver transplant patients were analyzed. The mean age was 52.45 years (range, 22 to 71) and there were 25 women (30.86%) and 56 men (69.14%). Indications for OLT were end-stage liver cirrhosis (n = 43, 53.09%), hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 36, 44.44%), and fulminant hepatic failure (n = 2, 2.47%). Fifty-eight patients (71.60%) developed ARF, and the perioperative mortality of these was 18.97%. The univariate analysis identified the presence of preoperative coagulopathy, prolonged intraoperative hypotension, more blood loss, and postoperative hypotension as the risk factors of ARF. By the multivariate analysis, prolonged intraoperative hypotension more than 30 minutes and presence of postoperative hypotension were the independent risk factors of ARF. During the intraoperative and postoperative periods, ARF group required more blood and blood components transfusion, longer intensive care unit stay, and higher in-hospital mortality. Seven patients (12.07%) in the ARF group required postoperative renal replacement therapy. Four patients (9.52%) developed chronic renal failure, and one of them required long-term hemodialysis.

Conclusions

ARF was a common complication after OLT, which caused increased morbidity and mortality. Although some patients required dialysis, most of them recovered normal renal function. Prolonged intraoperative hypotension and presence of postoperative hypotension were the independent risk factors of ARF after OLT.     

Metabolic Alkalosis After Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

To ascertain the etiology of metabolic alkalosis (MA) following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) the records of patients with 123 consecutive OLTs from 1995 to 2000 were reviewed. Metabolic alkalosis occurred in 51.2% of patients. Patients with MA had a larger fluid deficit (-3991 +/- 4324 vs. -1018 +/- 4863, p < 0.05), cumulative furosemide dose (406 +/- 356 vs. 243 +/- 189, p < 0.02), and citrate load from blood transfusions (9164 +/- 4870 vs. 7809 +/- 3967, p < 0.05). There was no difference in serum lactate concentration (3.15 +/- 1.63 vs. 3.11 +/- 1.91) in patients with and without MA. The duration of ICU stay was longer in patients with MA (14.9 +/- 15.3 vs. 5.3 +/- 3.9 days, p < 0.004). Treatment of severe MA in 19 (15.4%) patients consisted of 0.1 N hydrochloric acid and/or acetazolamide. Hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia occurred in 37.4% and 59.3% of patients, respectively. In conclusion, MA is a common post-OLT complication that is associated with a longer ICU stay. Diuretic-induced volume depletion, the citrate load from blood transfusions, hypokalemia, and hypomagnesemia contribute to the pathogenesis of MA in OLT.     

小鼠小肠移植术后排斥反应标志物研究

目的寻找小肠移植排斥反应的标志物,研究排斥反应的分子生物学机制.方法利用显微外科技术建立小鼠节段性小肠移植模型,采用逆转录定量聚合酶链式反应技术检测受体淋巴细胞中白细胞介素2受体(IL-2R)α链编码基因功能区的表达水平,并对反应产物进行DNA序列测定.结果小肠移植术后72h,异系移植组(津白Ⅱ号→BALB/c)受体鼠淋巴细胞IL-2Rα链功能区的转录水平(0.85±0.17)显著高于同系移植组(0.60±0.06)和假手术组(0.57±0.21).DNA序列测定证实PCR反应产物与IL-2Rα链功能区编码基因5'端序列相同.结论小肠移植早期IL-2Rα链编码基因mRNA的高表达是小肠移植排斥反应的主要启动因素和早期标志物,对所获得DNA片段进行的序列测定验证了反应产物的特异性.     

Recurrent Aortic Dissection After Orthotopic Heart Transplantation

A patient with Marfan's syndrome and previous Bentall repair for aortic dissection required orthotopic cardiac transplantation for end-stage cardiomyopathy. Postoperatively he suffered recurrent aortic dissection involving the transverse and descending aorta leading to tracheal and esophageal compression. He underwent successful surgical replacement of his ascending aorta, transverse arch, and descending aorta.     

Composite ''Thymoheart'' Transplantation Improves Cardiac Allograft Survival

We have generated a novel composite organ, the thymoheart, which facilitates the contemporaneous transfer of fully vascularized and functional donor thymic tissue to the host at the time of cardiac transplantation. Composite thymoheart allografts were prepared in MHC-inbred miniature swine by implanting autologous thymic tissue into donor hearts 60-90 days before organ procurement. Thymoheart allografts and unmanipulated control hearts were then transplanted into three groups, each treated with the same 12 days of cyclosporine. MHC-matched thymohearts transplanted into euthymic recipients had a minimum survival ranging between 72 and 194 days vs. 42-64 days for unmanipulated control hearts (p = 0.02). MHC class I-disparate thymohearts transplanted into euthymic recipients had a minimum survival ranging between 64 and 191 days vs. 30-55 days for unmanipulated control hearts (p = 0.01). MHC class I-disparate thymohearts transplanted into thymectomized recipients survived between 41 and 70 days vs. 8-27 days for unmanipulated control hearts (p = 0.01). Cellular and humoral functional assays, and skin grafting, confirmed the presence of donor-specific hyporesponsiveness in long-term thymoheart allografts recipients. The transfer of vascularized, functional donor thymic tissue to the host at the time of cardiac transplantation may provide a novel approach to the induction of tolerance in human heart transplant recipients.     

Oral Urografin in Postoperative Small Bowel Obstruction

The aim of our study was to determine whether Urografin has the potential to offer surgeons a way of differentiating complete from partial small bowel obstruction and whether partial small bowel obstruction can be treated nonoperatively. Altogether 116 patients who had postoperative small bowel obstructions without any toxic signs underwent Urografin studies. Urografin (40 ml) mixed with 40 ml of distilled water was administrated either orally or via nasogastric tube to each patient. Serial plain abdominal radiographs were taken 2, 4, and 8 hours later. A total of 74 patients (63.8%) whose contrast medium reached the colon within the first 8 hours were considered to have partial obstruction and were successfully treated with intravenous hydration and nasogastric decompression. The remaining 42 patients (36.2%) in whom the contrast medium failed to reach the colon within the first 8 hours were regarded as having complete obstruction, and 34 of those patients (81.0%) underwent surgery; 8 (19.0%) received conservative treatment. Adhesion bands with complete bowel obstruction were observed in all 34 patients (100.0%) during laparotomy. Regardless of the presence of an air-fluid level on a plain abdominal radiograph or abdominal pain, a liquid diet followed by a soft diet could be given to those patients whose Urografin emptied into the colon. All the patients with partial bowel obstruction were treated successfully with nonoperative methods. The presence of Urografin in the colon within 8 hours of ingestion as an indicator for nonoperative treatment had a sensitivity of 90.2%, a specificity of 100%, and an accuracy of 93.1%. Urografin, a safe and reliable water-soluble contrast medium, can be used to differentiate partial intestinal obstruction from complete intestinal obstruction. Early oral intake was found to be a major advantage of Urografin use in this study, and the potential of Urografin use to shorten the period of conservative treatment for postoperative small bowel obstruction needs further investigation.     

Risk Factors for Early Postoperative Small Bowel Obstruction After Colectomy for Colorectal Cancer

Background  

Small bowel obstruction (SBO) after colectomy leads to markedly lower patient quality of life, longer hospital stays, and increased hospitalization costs. From a systemic treatment point of view, early postoperative SBO is one of the major concerns of the surgery because it often delays chemotherapy in advanced cases. The goal of this single-center study was to evaluate the risk factors for early postoperative SBO.     

Preoperative Enteral Immunonutrition Improves Postoperative Outcome in Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancer

Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of preoperative immunonutrition pharmaceutics (IMPACT) diet versus standard enteral nutrition (EN) on the nutritional status and immunity of patients with colorectal or gastrointestinal (GI) cancer and to evaluate whether it influences the incidence of postoperative complication. Methods Sixty patients with GI cancer were randomly divided into 2 groups, immunonutrition (IM) and control diet (CT), each of which was fed with IMPACT and conventional diet, respectively, for 7 days before surgical procedures. Variables of nutritional status and immunity, postoperative complications, infections, and the days of postoperative hospitalization were measured. Results There were no significant differences in the immunological and nutritional variables between the 2 groups preoperatively. The incidence of postoperative complications was significantly lower and the days of postoperative hospitalization were significantly decreased in the IM group. Serum concentrations of both prealbumin (PALB) and transferrin (TRF) were lower in the IM than in the CT group on postoperative day 3 (P < 0.01). TRF continued to be significantly lower in the CT group than in the IM group between day 4 and day 7. However, PALB was significantly lower than before operation in the IM group on postoperative day 3 and TRF was significantly higher in the IM than the CT group on postoperative day 3 (P < 0.05). Both PALB and TRF were significantly higher in the IM than the CT group on postoperative day 7 (P < 0.05). Postoperative immunoglobulin G (IgG) level in the IM group was higher than that in the CT group (13.35 ± 2.06 g/l vs. 9.59 ± 2.23 g/l, P < 0.05). CD4/CD8 ratio was significantly higher in the IM group (2.10 ± 0.51 vs. 1.62 ± 0.52, P < 0.05). Conclusions Preoperative enteral IM in patients with GI cancer improves nutritional status and immunity and decreases the incidence of postoperative complications and infections.     

Bacterial Translocation in Adult Small Bowel Transplantation

The application of intestinal transplantation is limited by the high rate of infectious complications that can occur; the migration of enteric microorganisms to extraintestinal sites (bacterial translocation) has been suggested to be responsible for this event. We reviewed 95 intestinal biopsies performed on 28 transplanted patients to identify histologic features predictive of isolation of enteric microorganisms in extraintestinal sites within the first month after transplantation.At least 1 isolation of enteric microorganisms in the peritoneal cavity and/or in blood samples was obtained in 13 patients (46.4%); this event led to higher 1-year mortality (38.5% vs. 6.7%; P = .041). Of the 95 biopsies, 38 were followed by positive cultures (40.0%), showing higher degrees of mucosal vascular alterations (Ruiz grade) and ischemia/reperfusion injuries (Park/Chiu grade) compared with the negative cases (P < .05). We also observed an higher prevalence of positive cultures in relation to acute cellular rejection episodes (P = .091). Neither clinical or surgical factors nor immunosuppressive therapy were observed to be significantly related to positive cultures. Histologic alterations of the small bowel allograft are related to isolation of enteric microorganisms in extraintestinal sites. The degree of these histologic features can identify patients at high risk of potentially life-threatening infectious complications and death.     

原位肝移植术中动脉重建及术后并发症的防治

目的探讨原位肝移植肝动脉重建技术及其并发症的影响因素和防治。方法回顾性分析31例原位肝移植的临床资料,分析肝动脉重建及其并发症的影响因素,以及肝动脉并发症的防治。结果31例受体肝动脉均无变异。活体肝移植中供体肝动脉2例存在变异,其中1例副肝左动脉来源于胃左动脉,移植前肝左动脉、副肝左动脉成形后取供体的大隐静脉搭桥,与肝固有动脉与胃十二指肠动脉汇合处吻合;1例副肝右动脉来源于胃十二指肠动脉,行双动脉吻合。1例活体双供体肝移植行双动脉吻合;1例再次肝移植行腹主动脉搭桥;受体肝动脉直径<3mm6例,3～5mm17例,≥5mm8例。肝动脉吻合时间为23～70min,平均(31.46±9.07)min。术后32d发生肝动脉狭窄1例,行狭窄处球囊扩张后放置动脉支架,术后随访4个月肝功能及肝动脉血流良好,其余术后观察2～7个月均无肝动脉血栓形成及其他动脉并发症。结论重视引起肝动脉并发症的诸多因素,应用显微外科技术进行精细的肝动脉吻合,适当使用抗凝药物,能有效降低肝移植术后的肝动脉并发症;及时有效地处理肝动脉并发症能明显提高肝移植患者的生存率。