BACKGROUND: This study was designed to observe incidence and risk factors of low oxygenation after orthotropic liver transplantation (OLT).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated all adult patients who underwent living-donor OLT between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Postoperative low oxygenation was defined as PaO₂/FiO₂ <300 mmHg within 24 hours after surgery. Early acute kidney injury (AKI) after OLT was also defined when AKI was happened with 24 hours after operative.

RESULTS: A total of 301 patients, aged 50.35±10.29 years were enrolled. Of these patients, 100 patients (33.2%) suffered postoperative low oxygenation (PaO₂/FiO₂=251.80±35.84). Compared with the normal oxygenation group, body mass index (BMI) (24.48±3.53 versus 23.1±3.27 kg/m², P=0.001), preoperative hemoglobin (115.79±29.27 versus 111.52±29.80 g/L, P=0.033), preoperative MELD (22.25±6.54 versus 20.24±5.74, P=0.008), and intraoperative urinary volume (1.25 [0.76, 1.89] versus 2.04 [1.49, 3.68] mL/kg/h, P=0.003) were higher in low oxygenation group. There were more cases of earlier AKIs that occurred after OLT in low oxygenation patients than that in normal group (47% versus 23.4%, P<0.001). Logistic analysis showed that the preoperative BMI (hazard ration [HR]=1.107, [1.010, 1.212], P=0.029) and early AKI after OLT (HR=2.115, [1.161, 3.855], P=0.014) were independent risk factors for postoperative low oxygenation.

CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of postoperative low oxygenation after liver transplantation in adults was 33.2%. BMI and early AKI after OLT were correlated with postoperative hypoxemia.

Keywords: Acute Kidney Injury, acute lung injury, Liver Transplantation, End stage liver disease, Incidence, Postoperative Complications, Risk Factors