Table 2.
Comparison of complications occurring in the first year post-transplant in liver transplant recipients randomized to either standard immunosuppression (steroids) or complete avoidance of steroids (no steroids)
| Steroids group (n = 50) | No-steroids group (n = 50) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acute cellular rejection, % | 14 | 20 | 0.42 |
| Time to first episode, days, mean ± SD | 68 ± 20 | 56 ± 32 | 0.76 |
| Ductopenic rejection, % | 8 | 2 | 0.17 |
| HCV recurrence, % | 48 | 30 | 0.07 |
| Primary non-function, % | 4 | 6 | 0.65 |
| Hepatic artery thrombosis, % | 4 | 4 | 1.00 |
| Hepatic vein/IVC stenosis, % | 6 | 16 | 0.11 |
| Biliary complications, % | 46 | 48 | 0.84 |
| Postoperative acute renal failure, % | 24 | 36 | 0.19 |
| Postoperative chronic renal failure, % | 10 | 22 | 0.10 |
| Duration of HD, days, mean ± SD | 273 ± 165 | 302 ± 109 | 0.88 |
| Reoperation for bleeding, % | 16 | 16 | 1.00 |
| Retransplantation, % | 0 | 12 | 0.01 |
| Infectious complications | |||
| Surgical site infection, % | 30 | 18 | 0.16 |
| Pneumonia (%) | 4 | 14 | 0.08 |
| Urinary tract infection, % | 8 | 14 | 0.34 |
| Bloodstream infection, % | 2 | 6 | 0.31 |
| Peritonitis, % | 4 | 8 | 0.40 |
| Any infection, % | 44 | 52 | 0.42 |
SD, standard deviation; HCV, hepatitis C Virus; IVC, inferior vena cava; HD, hospital days.