Portal vein thrombosis after donor liver biopsy: Case report

Percutaneous plugged liver biopsy is a safe procedure with a low complication rate. Portal vein thrombosis has not been reported after percutaneous liver biopsy in the literature. We present a case of portal vein thrombosis after percutaneous plugged liver biopsy in a voluntary liver donor, which was subsequently treated with catheter-directed percutaneous transhepatic thrombolysis. In future, healthy patients undergoing liver biopsies are expected to increase for donor evaluation. More refinements of technique and hardware in the future may further decrease the rate of complications. However, if they occur, they need to be recognized and managed at the earliest

Predicting packed red blood cell transfusion in living donor liver transplantation: A retrospective analysis

Background and Aims: Blood transfusion is unpredictable in liver transplantation and is associated with increased patient morbidity, mortality and cost. This retrospective analysis was conducted to detect factors which could predict intraoperative transfusion of more than four units of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) during elective living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Methods: This was a single-centre retrospective study. Demographic, clinical and intraoperative data of 258 adult patients who underwent LDLT from March 2009 to January 2015 were analysed. Univariate and multivariate regression model was used to identify factors responsible for transfusion of more than four PRBCs (defined as massive transfusion [MT]). Results: On univariate regression analysis, preoperative factors like aetiology of liver disease, hypertension, history of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, low haemoglobin and fibrinogen, high serum bilirubin, high blood urea and creatinine, high model for end-stage liver disease score, portal venous thrombosis, increased duration of surgery and anhepatic phase as well as increased use of other blood products were found to be significantly associated with MT. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the only independent factor associated with MT was the number of units of fresh frozen plasma transfused (odds ratio = 1.54 [95% CI (1.12–2.12)]). Conclusion: Many factors are responsible for the need for transfusion during LDLT. Preoperative factors alone do not accurately and consistently predict the need for MT as in our study. It is important to be prepared for need for MT during each transplant

Earlier and higher rates of cytomegalovirus infection in pediatric liver transplant recipients as compared to adults: An observational study

AIM: To study and compare the incidence and time of occurrence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in the posttransplant period in adult and pediatric liver transplant recipients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive live donor liver transplant recipients not on CMV prophylaxis, were prospectively enrolled from March 2012 to September 2015 and followed up for 1 year post transplant to look for CMV infection. For analysis, patients were divided into pediatric (up to 18 years) and adult (>18 years) age groups. RESULTS: The study population of 146 patients consisted of 132 adult and 14 pediatric patients. Overall CMV infection posttransplant was seen in 54/146 (36.98%) patients, and 16/54 (29.6%) patients developed CMV disease. Post-transplant CMV infection rate was significantly higher in pediatric patients(10/14 [71.4%]) as compared to adults (44/132 [33.4%]) (P = 0.004). Among adults, CMV infection was seen in 22 (50%) patients in the 1st month, 13 (29.5%) patients in the 2nd month, 5 (11.4%) patients in the 3rd month, 2 (4.5%) patients in the 4th month, and 1 (2.3%) patient each in the 5th and 6th month. However, in pediatric patients, all the patients having CMV infection had it in the 1st-month posttransplant (P = 0.003). The median time of occurrence of CMV infection was 11.5 (7.75–19.00) days in pediatric patients versus 30 (18.5–54.5) days in adult patients (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show a clear difference in the incidence and timeline of posttransplant CMV infection in pediatric patients as compared to adults