Relevant risk factors affecting time of ventilation during early postoperative period after orthotopic Liver transplantation

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the relevant factors affecting the duration of mechanical ventilation after orthotopic liver transplantation. Materials and Methods: The 96 patients who underwent liver transplantation were divided into 2 groups according to whether or not the duration of mechanical ventilation after operation was longer than 24 hours. Nineteen variables, including clinical and experimental variables, were analyzed by t test for continuous variables and chi(2) test for discrete variables. The variables with significance (P <.05) were then analyzed with stepwise logistic regression. Results: Nine continuous preoperative clinical and experimental variables, including preoperative Child-Pugh stage, time of operation, volume of intraoperative liquid transfusion, volume of intraoperative blood loss, volume of intraoperative blood transfusion, volume of intraoperative urine, time of intraoperative hypotension, postoperative renal failure, and postoperative pulmonary edema revealed significant differences between the 2 groups. Stepwise logistic regression analysis for 9 variables indicated that volume of intraoperative blood loss, volume of intraoperative urine, and postoperative renal failure are relevant independent risk factors. Conclusion: The relevant risks affecting the time of ventilation in patients after orthotopic liver transplantation are multiple. The volume of intraoperative blood loss, volume of intraoperative urine, and postoperative renal failure are independent risk factors. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.