Implementation of an ERAS protocol on cirrhotic patients in liver resection: a cohort study.

The development of laparoscopic liver surgery, the improvement in the perioperative care programs, and the surgical innovation have allowed liver resections on selected cirrhotic patients. However, the great majority of ERAS studies for liver surgery have been conducted on patients with normal liver parenchyma, while its application on cirrhotic patients is limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation of an ERAS protocol in cirrhotic patients who underwent liver surgery. We present an analytical observational prospective cohort study, which included all adult patients who underwent a liver resection between December 2017 and December 2019 with an ERAS program. We compare the outcomes in patients cirrhotic (CG)/non-cirrhotic (NCG). A total of 101 patients were included. Thirty of these (29.7%) were patients ≥ 70 cirrhotic. 87% of the both groups had performed > 70% of the ERAS. Oral diet tolerance and mobilization on the first postoperative day were similar in both groups. The hospital stay was similar in both groups (2.9 days/2.99 days). Morbidity and mortality were similar; Clavien I-II (CG: 44% vs NCG: 30%) and Clavien ≥ III (CG: 3% vs NCG: 8%). Hospital re-entry was higher in the NCG. Overall mortality of the study was 1%. ERAS protocol compliance was associated with a decrease in complications (ERAS < 70%: 80% vs ERAS > 90%: 20%; p: 0.02) and decrease in severity of complications in both study groups. The application of the ERAS program in cirrhotic patients who undergo liver surgery is feasible, safe, and reproducible. It allows postoperative complications, mortality, hospital stay, and readmission rates comparable to those in standard patients.

Recipient With Influenza A Infection: Contraindication to Transplant? A Case Report.

Active infections in recipients are considered an absolute contraindication to liver transplantation due to the risk of severe disease caused by the required immunosuppression. Even though viral infections, such as Influenza A, have been treated in liver transplant patients both in the immediate and late postoperative period with favorable outcomes, no cases of prediagnosed Influenza A have been described in which the decision to proceed with the indication had to be made. In certain viral infections, like Influenza A, the paucisymptomatic state and the availability of appropriate treatment could open the door to performing liver transplants with positive results.

Liver Transplant With Double Portal Anastomose: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Reno-portal reconstruction is a surgical alternative to achieve enough portal flow in liver transplant when there is a complete portal thrombosis, provided there are collaterals or portosystemic shunt, with or without spleno-renal shunt. METHODS: We present the case of a 58-year-old man with enolic cirrhosis and a history of gastrointestinal hemorrhage due to esophageal varices and portal thrombosis. The clinical case was discussed in the Transplant Committee, and the patient was included in the surgical waiting list with a Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score of 17 and Child-Pugh score of A6. The preoperative computer tomography scan showed significant collateral circulation with esophageal varices, varices dependent on the inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) and hypoplasic portal vein. During the operation, a large shunt from the IMV to the iliac territory and type II portal thrombosis were observed, which was managed with eversion thrombectomy. A temporary portocaval shunt was performed, showing minimal flow in the portal vein, which did not improve after ligation of the systemic shunt. It was decided to perform a reno-portal anastomosis, after which the portal flow measurement was 600 cc per minute; because of this, it was decided to supplement portal flow with an end-to-side portoportal anastomosis, obtaining a flow of 1300 cc per minute with low resistance (R0.5). RESULTS: The postoperative period was favorable, with good evolution of liver analytical parameters, with permeability of the porto-portal venous anastomoses, reno-portal, arterial, and suprahepatic anastomoses in the imaging tests. CONCLUSION: If the portal flow is insufficient with a hypoplasic portal vein, a double anastomosis, portoportal, and reno-portal would be a technical resource.

A scoring system for predicting malignancy in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas: a multicenter EUROPEAN validation.

PURPOSE: A preoperative estimate of the risk of malignancy for intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) is important. The present study carries out an external validation of the Shin score in a European multicenter cohort. METHODS: An observational multicenter European study from 2010 to 2015. All consecutive patients undergoing surgery for IPMN at 35 hospitals with histological-confirmed IPMN were included. RESULTS: A total of 567 patients were included. The score was significantly associated with the presence of malignancy (p < 0.001). In all, 64% of the patients with benign IPMN had a Shin score < 3 and 57% of those with a diagnosis of malignancy had a score ≥ 3. The relative risk (RR) with a Shin score of 3 was 1.37 (95% CI: 1.07-1.77), with a sensitivity of 57.1% and specificity of 64.4%. CONCLUSION: Patients with a Shin score ≤ 1 should undergo surveillance, while patients with a score ≥ 4 should undergo surgery. Treatment of patients with Shin scores of 2 or 3 should be individualized because these scores cannot accurately predict malignancy of IPMNs. This score should not be the only criterion and should be applied in accordance with agreed clinical guidelines.

Outcome of Liver Transplants Using Donors After Cardiac Death With Normothermic Regional Perfusion.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The incorporation of normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) to donors after cardiac death (DCD) allows the recovery of liver grafts without the deleterious effects on graft survival the super-rapid technique may cause. The aim of the present report is to determine if the use of NRP in Maastricht type III DCD donors achieves short- and medium-term results comparable to donors after brain death (DBD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is an observational cohort study including 117 liver transplants executed between November 2016 and April 2021, divided into NRP (n = 39) and DBD (n = 78). RESULTS: Donors were younger in the NRP group (NRP 52 vs DBD 59.4 years; P < .005). Liver recipients in each study group were of similar age and severity of liver disease, although the predominant transplant indication in the NRP group was hepatocellular carcinoma. No differences in ischemia times were found. The incidence of early allograft disfunction and primary nonfunction was balanced between NRP and DBD. Eight patients required retransplant, all of them in the DBD group. No differences were found in biliary complications (NRP 12% vs DBD 5%; P = .104). Ischemic cholangiopathy affected a single DBD patient. Graft survival's Kaplan Meier curve shows a better outcome in the NRP group, although the difference did not reach significance (P = .075). CONCLUSIONS: The incorporation of perfusion machines, and specifically the NPR in situ, converts suboptimal liver grafts such as DCD into organs comparable to DBDs.

New surgical realities: implementation of an enhanced recovery after surgery protocol for gynecological laparoscopy-a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Multimodal rehabilitation allows optimization of functional recovery in surgery patients by reducing the postoperative stress and hospital stay duration, without increasing the morbidity and mortality. It is reportedly successful in other surgical disciplines, and guidelines for its application to gynecological surgery are available; however, most evidence for these guidelines is derived from observational and/or retrospective studies. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the applicability of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol in laparoscopic gynecological surgery and its influence on the postoperative stay, morbidity, mortality, and readmission, through a prospective approach. METHODS: This prospective cohort study was performed on 90 patients who underwent laparoscopic hysterectomy for benign causes from October 2017 to October 2019. Patients in whom the ERAS (ERAS group, n = 30) and traditional (control group, n = 60) protocols were implemented were compared. All patients were followed for 6 months. RESULTS: The groups were homogeneous and did not differ significantly with respect to the demographic characteristics (age, ASA score, body mass index), surgical indications, and surgery types. Adherence to the ERAS protocol was over 99%. The postoperative hospital-stay durations were 1.73 days (r = 1-3) and 2.97 days (r = 2-6) in the ERAS and control groups, respectively (p = 0.000). No significant intergroup differences were observed in the rates of complications and readmissions. CONCLUSIONS: The ERAS protocol is applicable in laparoscopic gynecological surgery and can be implemented with good adherence. This can allow optimization of patient recovery by reducing the hospital stay duration, without increasing the rates of morbidity, mortality, or readmission.

Does Normothermic Regional Perfusion Improve the Results of Donation After Circulatory Death Liver Transplantation?

BACKGROUND: The so-called grafts or donors with extended criteria are a risk factor for the development of liver transplant activity. One source comes from controlled donation after circulatory death (cDCD). The hypothesis was to verify the improvement in results by comparing DCD liver transplants performed with postmortem normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) vs super-rapid recovery (SRR), the current standard for cDCD. A prospective study comparing both techniques was carried out. METHODS: A total of 42 transplants were performed with cDCD, 22 of which were with SRR and 23 with NRP from April 2014 to September 2019. RESULTS: Differences were found in early allograft dysfunction (68.1% in the SRR group vs 25% in the NRP group; P < .01) and biliary complications (22.7% vs 5%, respectively; P = .04). Differences were also found, although not statistically significant, in ischemic cholangiopathy (13.6% in the SRR group vs 5% in the NRP group; P = .09), and retransplant rate (9.1% vs 0%, respectively; P = .3). CONCLUSIONS: With the use of NRP machines, results are similar to the standard donation with donors in brain death in terms of rate of early allograft dysfunction and survival of the patient and graft attempted, reducing the rate of ischemic cholangiopathy compared with SRR.

Influence of Preoperative Muscle Mass Assessed by Computed Tomography on Prognosis After Liver Transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia (SP) and preoperative muscle mass are independent predictive factors for short- and long-term outcome of liver transplantation. OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of muscle mass index (MMI) and preoperative SP on the prognosis of patients who underwent liver transplantation in our hospital. METHODS: Ninety-seven patients who underwent liver transplantation in the Regional University Hospital of Málaga from September 2013 to March 2016 were analyzed. SP was determined based on the MMI, as assessed by psoas muscle area at the L4 level measured by computed tomography (CT), with adjustment for patient sex. Two cohorts were differentiated: 54 patients without SP and 42 patients with SP. Postoperative complications, graft survival, and patient survival were assessed. A 3-year follow-up was carried out. RESULTS: Recipient characteristics were similar in both cohorts, except for MMI ± SD (group without SP: 94.03 ± 15.43 cm2/m2 vs group with SP: 56.99 ± 13.59 cm2/m2; P = .001). The incidence of postoperative complications (Clavien ≥ 3) in patients with and without SP was 39.5% and 24.1%, respectively (P = .08). SP was not associated with poorer long-term graft or patient survival. CONCLUSIONS: SP, determined by preoperative measurement of MMI, was identified as a predictive factor associated with a higher incidence of postoperative complications. Since MMI can be easily determined by CT, it should be assessed in all candidates for liver transplantation.

Influence of Bile Duct Diameter on Biliary Complications After Liver Transplantation.

Biliary complications after liver transplantation have a high incidence of and a significant impact on morbidity and mortality. The primary aim of this study was to assess the influence of bile duct diameter on biliary complications and to determine whether a critical diameter for such complications could be determined. The secondary aim was to identify additional factors associated with biliary complications. Two hundred and seventy-three recipients of liver transplantation with biliary anastomosis without a T-tube were analyzed from December 2013 to December 2018. Patients with a follow-up of less than 6 months were excluded, except for those with biliary complications (including death). Intraoperative measurements of bile duct diameter and other variables potentially related to complications were recorded prospectively, and their association with biliary complications was analyzed. Our results show that neither donor nor recipient bile duct diameters were risk factors for the development of biliary complications. However, bile duct size mismatch between recipient and donor was found to be a risk factor. Additional associated risk factors were arterial ischemia time, arterial complications, bench arterial reconstruction, and intraoperative blood transfusion.

Results of liver transplantation with donors older than 80 years: a case control study.

AIM: The inclusion of elderly donors can increase the pool of organs available for transplant. BACKGROUND: To compare clinical outcomes and survival rates in patients who received livers from donors aged ≥ 80 years vs. younger donors. METHODS: We considered all liver transplantations performed in our unit between January 2006 and January 2015. Twelve patients received liver from a cadaveric donor aged ≥ 80 years (study group) and their outcomes were compared with those of patients who received liver from a younger donor (control group). This study was carried out to analyze the characteristics of donors and recipients, as well as the clinical course and survival of recipients. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were observed in donors' age (55.6 ± 14.4 vs. 82.7 ± 2.7 years, p < 0.001), donors' ICU stay (p = 0.008), donors' ALT levels (p = 0.009) and donors' AST levels (p = 0.01). Statistically significant differences were found in ischemia time (p < 0.05). In total, 8.3% of the recipients of liver from a donor aged < 80 required retransplantation vs. 25% of recipients of donor's ≥ 80 years. Patient survival at one, three and five years was 89%, 78.6% and 74.5%, respectively vs. 83.4%, 79.4% and 59.6% for the study group. CONCLUSION: Livers from older donors can be safely used for transplantation with acceptable patient survival rates. However, graft survival rates are lower for recipients of livers from older donors as compared to younger donors, and survival only increased with retransplantation.