Effect of preoperative hypoalbuminemia on postoperative mortality and morbidity in liver transplant surgery

Abstract

Aim: In this study, it isaimed to retrospectively evaluatethe effect of serum albumin levels on postoperative mortality and morbidity in patients with end-stage liver failure with hypoalbuminemia who underwent follow-up liver transplant surgery. Material and Method: After the approval of the ethics committee, the patients who underwent liver transplant surgery between April 2011 and September 2016 were divided into two groups as with preoperative albumin values <3.5 g/dl and ≥3.5 g/dl. Demographic characteristics of the patients, preoperative and postoperative arterial blood gases, posteroanterior chest radiographs, tracheal aspirate cultures, preoperative and postoperative serum creatinine levels, mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit length of stay, transfusion of blood and blood products, and early postoperative complications (30 days) were determined and compared retrospectively. Result: It was observed that mechanical ventilation, intensive care hospitalization and discharge times were higher in the group with low albumin levels (p˂0.05). More blood and blood products were used in the group with low albumin levels (p˂0.05). Postoperative pulmonary complications and acute kidney injury were more common in the group with low albumin levels (p˂0.05). Complications in the early postoperative period were more common in the group with low albumin levels. Conclusion: As a result, it isconcluded that the preoperative serum albumin level can be used as a guide and a valuable parameter in the postoperative follow-up in the detection of perioperative and postoperative complications in liver transplant recipients.

Keywords

• Hypoalbuminemia
• liver transplantation
• mortality
• morbidity

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