In-hospital mortality after adult living donor liver transplantation: single-center experience

Objectives: To identify the preoperative risk factors associated with in-hospital mortality after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Materials and methods: Between November 2001 and May 2015, LDLT were performed in 276 consecutive adult recipients in our hospital. Medical data were collected from the Chinese Liver Transplant Registry. Indications for transplantation and causes of death were analyzed. Potential risk factors for in-hospital mortality after LDLT were analyzed by using univariate and multivariate in this study. Results: From November 2001 to May 2015, 276 consecutive adult recipients underwent LDLT in our hospital. Recipients who received dual grafts or repeat transplant were excluded. A total of 263 LDLT recipients were indentified with an overall in-hospital mortality of 13.7%. The most frequent cause of death was infections (47.2%), which was followed by multiple organ failure (25.0%) and renal failure (8.3%). Associated risk factors included D-MELD more than 600 (P<0.05), preoperative ICU stay (P<0.05) and the Charlson comorbidity index of 1 or higher (P<0.05). Conclusion: Our study indentified that being ICU-bound before LDLT, with a D-MELD score more than 600 and the CCI of 1 or higher were the independent factors that associated with in-hospital mortality after LDLT. These findings could help in patients consulting, donor selection and decision making.