Table 4.
Postoperative complications after liver transplantation
| Complications |
Patient number1 |
Managements | Outcomes2 | |
| Stage I (n = 45) | Stage II (n = 77) | |||
| Surgical complications | ||||
| HAT | 4 | 2 | DSA (3 pts); thrombectomy and reconstruction (6 pts) | 3 pts died |
| PVT | 5 | 5 | Reoperation (5 pts); metal stent placement (1 pt) | 7 pts died |
| Biliary leakage | 3 | 2 | Drainage or reoperation | 3 pts died |
| Biliary stricture | 2 | 1 | PTCD (1 pt) | 2 pts died |
| Biliary sludge | 1 | 0 | Retransplantation | Alive |
| Wound dehiscence | 3 | 1 | Debridement and re-closure | 2 pts died |
| Digestive tract perforation | 2 | 2 | Reoperation | 4 pts died |
| Intra-abdominal bleeding | 0 | 1 | Reoperation | Alive |
| Wound infection | 1 | 0 | Regular wound dressing | 1 pt died |
| Small-for-size syndrome | 0 | 1 | - | 1 pt died |
| Large-for-size syndrome | 0 | 1 | - | 1 pt died |
| Non-surgical complications | ||||
| Pulmonary infection | 14 | 16 | Antibiotics (30 pts); mechanical ventilation (5 pts) | 11 pts died |
| CMV infection | 17 | 13 | Antivirus therapy | 7 pts died |
| EBV infection | 3 | 10 | Antivirus therapy | 1 pt died |
| De novo HBV infection | 7 | 6 | Antivirus therapy | 2 pts died |
| Drug-induced liver injury | 0 | 1 | Withdrawal of the drug | 1 pt died |
| Tuberculous pleurisy | 1 | 0 | Anti-tuberculosis | Alive |
| Acute rejection | 15 | 13 | Increased the dosage of the immunosuppressant; bolus doses of steroids | 5 pts died |
| PTLD | 0 | 1 | - | 1 pt died |
| Hirsutism | 7 | 0 | Replacement of cyclosporine with tacrolimus | 1 pt died |
| Intravascular hemolysis | 1 | 1 | Steroid therapy; withdrawal of blood transfusion | 1 pt died |
1
Multiple complications might occur in a single patient;
2
Patients who experienced the complication but died from other reasons before the last follow-up contact were also included. CMV: Cytomegalovirus; DSA: Digital subtraction angiography; EBV: Epstein-Barr virus; HAT: Hepatic artery thrombosis; HBV: Hepatitis B virus; pt: Patient; PTCD: Percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage; PTLD: Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease; pts: Patients; PVT: Portal venous thrombosis.