Infectious complications limit the outcome of liver transplantation in medical urgency code 2 patients

Transplant Proc. 2005 Mar;37(2):1224-6. doi: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2004.12.253.

Abstract

The Organ shortage has caused an accumulation of acutely decompensated patients listed as medical urgency code 2 (MUC 2) (United network for Organ Sharing 2) while awaiting liver transplantation. Between June 1997 and June 2003, 22 of 360 liver transplantation patients (6%) were listed as MUC 2. Prophylactic immunosuppression consisted of calcineurin inhibitor-based drug therapy, using antithymocyte globulin or interleukin-2 receptor antagonist induction in 64%. The overall perioperative infection rate was 50%, and the rejection rate was 23%. We observed 7 episodes of oral or genital herpes simplex virus lesions; 2 patients (both with cytomegalovirus-mismatched transplants) developed cytomegalovirus disease, and another 5 patients received ganciclovir for preemptive therapy or prophylaxis. Two patients developed pneumonia: 5, sepsis that originated in 4 cases from a contaminated central venous line; and 1 methicillin-resistant endocarditis, which resulted in Staphylococcus aureus lethal outcome. After a median follow up of 3 years, 1 patient underwent a repeat transplantation procedure and 6 patients had died, 4 of them from infectious complications. Liver transplantation of MUC 2-listed patients may result in acceptable results similar to those of MUC 3 and MUC 4 categories.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunosuppression Therapy / methods
  • Infections / epidemiology*
  • Kidney Transplantation
  • Liver Diseases / classification
  • Liver Diseases / surgery
  • Liver Neoplasms / surgery
  • Liver Transplantation / adverse effects*
  • Liver Transplantation / mortality
  • Liver Transplantation / physiology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Postoperative Complications / epidemiology*
  • Survival Analysis