Enhanced recovery after surgery is feasible and safe in liver transplantation: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The principles of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) are being applied to still more advanced procedures. Liver transplantation offers a unique opportunity for a multimodal approach including donor care as well. Our objective was to determine if ERAS was applicable and safe in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). METHODS: A national single centre retrospective study showing the implementation of ERAS from 2013 to 2019 with the proceeding 2 years serving as baseline. The primary endpoints were mortality, length of stay (LOS) in the ward and intensive care unit stay. Secondary endpoints were complications estimated by Dindo-Clavien classification, comprehensive complication index (CCI®) and re-admissions. RESULTS: A total of 334 patients were included. LOS was significantly reduced from a median of 22.5 days at introduction to 14 days at 2019. Cold ischaemia time was reduced from a mean of 10.7 to 6.0 h and the use of blood products (erythrocytes, plasma and thrombocytes) from a median of 28 to 6 units. Complications were reduced in severity. Mortality and readmission rates were not affected. CONCLUSION: ERAS principles are safe and recommended in patients undergoing OLT resulting in reduced severity of complications and LOS without affecting re-admissions or mortality.

Rapid decline in 51Cr-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-measured renal function during the first weeks following liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Renal dysfunction is a serious late complication after liver transplantation (LTX), but there are no studies addressing the early changes associated with this complication. METHODS: We prospectively studied glomerular filtration rate (GFR) before and at 1, 3 and 12 weeks after LTX using 51Cr-labelled ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid clearance in 37 adult consecutive patients who underwent non-acute first LTX. RESULTS: The mean (±SD) age was 49.5 ± 9.5 years, and the male:female sex ratio was 21:16. Diagnoses were autoimmune liver diseases (17), alcoholic cirrhosis (10) and other diseases (10). Immunosuppressive treatment consisted predominantly of triple-drug therapy. A total of 27 of the 37 patients were eligible for GFR analysis at all times. The mean (±SD) GFR was 86 ± 26 mL/min/1.73 m2 before LTX, and 77 ± 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 at 1 week, 64 ± 27 mL/min/1.73 m2 at 3 weeks and 64 ± 23 mL/min/1.73 m2 at 12 weeks after LTX, comparable to a reduction in mean GFR compared with baseline values of 10% (P = 0.1907), 25% (P = 0.0010) and 26% (P = 0.0007). Age and number of blood transfusions during surgery were identified as risk factors for this decline as well as gender, but not pre-transplant diagnosis, model of end-stage liver disease score, cold ischaemia time or post-transplant area under the curve tacrolimus during Days 0-14. CONCLUSIONS: Using measured rather than estimated GFR, our results show that severe renal impairment occurs during the first week after LTX. These results emphasize the need for more studies addressing renoprotective treatment strategies.

Postoperative complications as a predictor for survival after liver transplantation - proposition of a prognostic score.

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation is major surgery with a high risk of complications. Existing scoring systems for evaluating complications after surgery are not specific for liver transplantation. Nor are they designed to evaluate the relation to recipient survival or graft loss. We wished to uncover the relation between postoperative complications and one-year risk of death or retransplantation, and to develop a prognostic score for complications based on our findings. METHOD: The study was a retrospective cohort study including 253 adult liver recipients. Thirty-days postoperative complications were registered using the Clavien-Dindo classification. A prognostic score was developed based on types, severity, and quantity of complications. RESULTS: A total of 1113 complications occurred in 233 (92.1%) of the patients. One-year mortality or graft loss was associated with graft, biliary, surgical, systemic, pulmonary, cardiovascular, renal, and infectious complication but not with neurologic or gastrointestinal complications. The developed score was more accurate in predicting the outcome than both the modified Clavien-Dindo score and the Comprehensive Complication Index. CONCLUSION: Types, severity, and quantity of different postoperative complications after liver transplantation are not equally important. The proposed score may focus attention on treating or preventing complications with strong relation to recipient mortality or graft loss.

Vascular invasion and survival after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: a study from the European Liver Transplant Registry.

BACKGROUND: Studies suggest that vascular invasion may be a superior prognostic marker compared with traditional selection criteria, e.g. Milan criteria. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of micro and macrovascular invasion in a large database material. METHODS: Patients liver transplanted for HCC and cirrhosis registered in the European Liver Transplant Registry (ELTR) database were included. The association between the Milan criteria, Up-to-seven criteria and vascular invasion with overall survival and HCC specific survival was investigated with univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: Of 23,124 patients transplanted for HCC, 9324 had cirrhosis and data on explant pathology. Patients without microvascular invasion, regardless of number and size of HCC nodules, had a five-year overall survival of 73.2%, which was comparable with patients inside both Milan and Up-to-seven criteria. Patients without macrovascular invasion had an only marginally reduced survival of 70.7% after five years. Patients outside both Milan and Up-to-seven criteria without micro or macrovascular invasion still had a five-year overall survival of 65.8%. CONCLUSION: Vascular invasion as a prognostic indicator remains superior to criteria based on size and number of nodules. With continuously improving imaging studies, microvascular invasion may be used for selecting patients for transplantation in the future.

MELD score measured day 10 after orthotopic liver transplantation predicts death and re-transplantation within the first year.

OBJECTIVE: The impact of early allograft dysfunction on the outcome after liver transplantation is yet to be established. We explored the independent predictive value of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score measured in the post-transplant period on the risk of mortality or re-transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective cohort study on adults undergoing orthotopic deceased donor liver transplantation from 2004 to 2014. The MELD score was determined prior to transplantation and daily until 21 days after. The risk of mortality or re-transplantation within the first year was assessed according to quartiles of MELD using unadjusted and adjusted stepwise Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: We included 374 consecutive liver transplant recipients of whom 60 patients died or were re-transplanted. The pre-transplant MELD score was comparable between patients with good and poor outcome, but from day 1 the MELD score significantly diversified and was higher in the poor outcome group (MELD score quartile 4 versus quartile 1-3 at day 10: HR 5.1, 95% CI: 2.8-9.0). This association remained after adjustment for non-identical blood type, autoimmune liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (adjusted HR 5.3, 95% CI: 2.9-9.5 for MELD scores at day 10). The post-transplant MELD score was not associated with pre-transplant MELD score or the Eurotransplant donor risk index. CONCLUSION: Early determination of the MELD score as an indicator of early allograft dysfunction after liver transplantation was a strong independent predictor of mortality or re-transplantation and was not influenced by the quality of the donor, or preoperative recipient risk factors.

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in liver transplant recipients in an era of routine prophylaxis.

BACKGROUND: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) is an opportunistic infection in organ transplant recipients that may be prevented by antibiotic prophylaxis. We aimed to investigate the incidence rate (IR) of PCP and the related hospitalization and mortality rates in liver transplant recipients in an era of routine prophylaxis. METHODS: We included all adult liver transplant recipients transplanted at Rigshospitalet between January 1, 2011 and October 1, 2019. Microbiology data were obtained from the Danish Microbiology Database (MiBa), a national database containing all data from all Departments of Clinical Microbiology in Denmark receiving samples from both hospitals and general practices. According to local guidelines, PCP prophylaxis was initiated 1 week posttransplantation and discontinued after 6 months or sooner in patients experiencing side effects. RESULTS: We included 343 liver transplant recipients with 1153 person-years of follow-up (PYFU), of which 269 (78%) received PCP prophylaxis during the first 6 months posttransplantation. Seven (2%) recipients were diagnosed with PCP during follow-up. In the first 6 months posttransplantation and in 269 transplant recipients who received prophylaxis there were zero PCP events while the IR was 32 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.9-148) per 1000 PYFU in 74 recipient who did not receive prophylaxis. During 7th to 12th month posttransplantation the IR was 20 (95% CI: 5.5-53) per 1000 PYFU. All seven (100%) recipients diagnosed with PCP were hospitalized, however none died. CONCLUSIONS: PCP was not detected in liver transplant recipients while on prophylaxis. Though, it worth mentioning that two out of the seven PCP patients received high-dose prednisolone before the PCP event. All liver transplant recipients with PCP were hospitalized, but none died. Randomized clinical trials to determine the optimal duration of prophylaxis are warranted.

Enterococcal Infections the First Year after Liver Transplantation-A Prospective Cohort Study.

This study aimed to investigate the incidence of enterococcal infections and determine risk factors associated with enterococcal bloodstream infection (BSI) within the first year post-liver transplantation (LTx). We included 321 adult liver transplant recipients transplanted from 2011 to 2019 in a prospective cohort study. Cumulative incidence of enterococcal infections and risk factors associated with BSI were investigated in a competing risk model and time-updated Cox models, respectively. A total of 223 enterococcal infections were identified in 89 recipients. The cumulative incidences of first enterococcal infection and first enterococcal BSI were 28% (95% CI (23-33)) and 11% (CI (7-14)), respectively. Risk factors associated with enterococcal BSI were previous infections in the biliary tract (HR, 33; CI (15-74); p < 0.001), peritoneum (HR, 8.1; CI (3-23); p < 0.001) or surgical site (HR, 5.5; CI (1.4-22); p = 0.02), recipient age (HR per 10 years increase, 1.2; CI (1.03-1.6); p = 0.03), and cold ischemia time (HR per one hour increase, 1.2; CI (1.1-1.3); p < 0.01). Enterococcal infections are highly prevalent the first year post-LTx, and recipients with enterococcal infections in the biliary tract, peritoneum, or surgical site are at increased risk of BSI. These findings may have implications for the choice of empiric antibiotics early post-LTx.

The Incidence of Free Peritoneal Tumor Cells before and after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer.

CONTEXT: The utility of peritoneal washing cytology in patients with gastroesophageal junction cancer has not been thoroughly evaluated. AIMS: The study aimed to determine the incidence of free peritoneal tumor cells by peritoneal washing cytology before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy using conventional cytopathological methods and immunohistochemical staining for the analysis of peritoneal washings. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A prospective study conducted at a single tertiary referral hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with gastroesophageal junction cancer and without suspicion of intra- or extraabdominal metastases before the staging laparoscopy were prospectively and consecutively enrolled. Peritoneal washing cytology was performed at staging laparoscopy (primary cytology) and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy during robot-assisted or open resection (secondary cytology). Peritoneal fluid samples were analyzed by conventional cytology and an immunohistochemical panel. RESULTS: Overall, 81 patients met the primary inclusion criteria. During primary cytology, positive cytology without overt metastases (C1M0) was detected in three patients (3.8%) while five patients (6.3%) had overt intra-abdominal metastases but negative cytology (C0M1). None of the patients with C1M0 underwent surgery due to extra-abdominal (n = 1) or intra-abdominal metastases (n = 2), and the overall survival was 4, 7, and 14 months. During secondary cytology, no patients with free peritoneal tumor cells were identified, but seven patients were classified as C0M1 (10.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of C1M0 was 3.8% and 0% before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, respectively in patients with gastroesophageal junction cancer. Free peritoneal tumor cells were not identified in several patients with intra-abdominal metastases suggesting that peritoneal washing cytology with conventional cytology and immunohistochemical staining lack sensitivity.

Classification of death causes after transplantation (CLASS): Evaluation of methodology and initial results.

Correct classification of death causes is an important component of transplant trials.We aimed to develop and validate a system to classify causes of death in hematopoietic stem cell (HSCT) and solid organ (SOT) transplant recipients.Case record forms (CRF) of fatal cases were completed, including investigator-designated cause of death. Deaths occurring in 2010 to 2013 were used for derivation; and were validated by deaths occurring in 2013 to 2015. Underlying cause of death (referred to as recorded underlying cause) was determined through a central adjudication process involving 2 external reviewers, and subsequently compared with the Danish National Death Cause Registry.Three hundred eighty-eight recipients died 2010 to 2015 (196 [51%] SOT and 192 [49%] HSCT). The main recorded underlying causes of death among SOT and HSCT were classified as cancer (20%, 48%), graft rejection/failure/graft-versus-host-disease (35%, 28%), and infections (20%, 11%). Kappa between the investigator-designated and the recorded underlying cause of death was 0.74 (95% CI 0.69-0.80) in derivation and comparable in the validation cohort. Death causes were concordant with the Danish National Death Cause Registry in 37.2% (95% CI 31.5-42.9) and 38.4% (95% CI 28.8-48.0) in the derivation and validation cohorts, respectively.We developed and validated a method to systematically and reliably classify the underlying cause of death among transplant recipients. There was a high degree of discordance between this classification and that in the Danish National Death Cause Registry.

Outbreak of pneumocystis pneumonia in renal and liver transplant patients caused by genotypically distinct strains of Pneumocystis jirovecii.

BACKGROUND: An outbreak of 29 cases of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) occurred among renal and liver transplant recipients (RTR and LTR) in the largest Danish transplantation centre between 2007 and 2010, when routine PCP prophylaxis was not used. METHODS: P. jirovecii isolates from 22 transplant cases, 2 colonized RTRs, and 19 Pneumocystis control samples were genotyped by restriction fragment length polymorphism and multilocus sequence typing analysis. Contact tracing was used to investigate transmission. Potential risk factors were compared between PCP cases and matched non-PCP transplant patients. RESULTS: Three unique Pneumocystis genotypes were shared among 19 of the RTRs, LTRs, and a colonized RTR in three distinct clusters, two of which overlapped temporally. In contrast, Pneumocystis control samples harbored a wide range of genotypes. Evidence of possible nosocomial transmission was observed. Among several potential risk factors, only cytomegalovirus viremia was consistently associated with PCP (P=0.03; P=0.009). Mycophenolate mofetil was associated with PCP risk only in the RTR population (P=0.04). CONCLUSION: We identified three large groups infected with unique strains of Pneumocystis and provide evidence of an outbreak profile and nosocomial transmission. LTRs may be infected in PCP outbreaks simultaneously with RTRs and by the same strains, most likely by interhuman transmission. Patients are at risk several years after transplantation, but the risk is highest during the first 6 months after transplantation. Because patients at risk cannot be identified clinically and outbreaks cannot be predicted, 6 months of PCP chemoprophylaxis should be considered for all RTRs and LTRs.