Anesthetic management of a pregnant living related liver donor

Int J Obstet Anesth. 2006 Apr;15(2):149-51. doi: 10.1016/j.ijoa.2005.10.003. Epub 2006 Feb 20.

Abstract

Pregnancy is often considered a contraindication to living related liver donation. There are serious medical and ethical considerations if a pregnant woman insists on undergoing partial hepatectomy to save her sick child. Herein we report a case of living related liver donation from a pregnant woman at 18 weeks of gestation to her 1-year-old child with decompensated cirrhosis due to biliary atresia. The left lateral segment of the liver was harvested for donation. Meticulous surgical technique and anesthetic management were mandatory in assuring a successful outcome. While this isolated case demonstrated that living related liver donation can be performed successfully with a pregnant donor, it should be undertaken only when there is absolutely no other donor and the recipient is in urgent need.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anesthesia, General*
  • Biliary Atresia / complications
  • Biliary Atresia / surgery
  • Child
  • Creatinine / metabolism
  • Directed Tissue Donation
  • Female
  • Hemodynamics
  • Hemoglobins / metabolism
  • Hepatectomy*
  • Humans
  • Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / etiology
  • Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / surgery
  • Liver Transplantation*
  • Living Donors*
  • Pregnancy

Substances

  • Hemoglobins
  • Creatinine