Jin Sun Yoon

The Comparison of Femoral and Radial Arterial Blood Pressures During Pediatric Liver Transplantation

BACKGROUND Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is frequently associated with dramatic hemodynamic changes; thus, it is critical to accurately monitor blood pressure. Although comparisons between femoral arterial blood pressure (FABP) and radial arterial blood pressure (RABP) have been reported in adult liver recipients, we compared FABP with RABP in pediatric recipients. METHODS Thirty-five pediatric liver recipients younger than 13 years of age were included in this prospective, observational study. We measured simultaneous FABP and RABP in the femoral and radial arteries at nine time points during the procedure, including: baseline (after anesthetic induction); 1 hour thereafter; 30 minutes after the beginning of the anhepatic period as well as 0, 1, 3, 5, 15, and 60 minutes after graft reperfusion. RESULTS Of the 35 pediatric liver recipients, 2 infants and 1 13-month-old child were excluded from the analysis because of radial arterial catheter malfunction. The remaining 32 patients including 16 infants and 16 children all showed significantly higher systolic and mean FABP than RABP during most stages of pediatric OLT. Overall diastolic FABP measurements were similar to diastolic RABP throughout the study. CONCLUSIONS Systolic and mean FABP were significantly higher than RABP during most stages of pediatric OLT. Radial arterial catheter malfunctions were not uncommon during pediatric OLT. Our results indicated that it is useful to cannulate the femoral artery to accurately and reliably measure arterial blood pressure to detect hemodynamic instability during pediatric OLT.

Postoperative delirium in elderly patients with critical limb ischemia undergoing major leg amputation: a retrospective study

Background Critical limb ischemia has been identified as a risk factor for the incidence of postoperative delirium in elderly patients. Limb amputation is the last option in critical limb ischemia treatments. We investigated the incidence and predisposing factors of postoperative delirium in patients undergoing major leg amputation. Methods From January 2012 to December 2016, 121 patients aged over 60 years who had undergone major leg amputation were enrolled in this study. Various factors related to the patients’ outcomes were assessed, including demographic, preoperative laboratory, anesthetic, surgical, and postoperative indicators. Results Twenty two patients were excluded and 99 patients were assigned to either the delirium group or no delirium group. Forty of them (40%) developed a delirium during 30 days postoperatively. Univariate analysis implied that end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis, alcohol consumption, C-reactive protein, staying in an intensive care unit (ICU), duration of an ICU stay, occurrence of complications, and mortality during six months, were the factors that accounted for significant differences between the two groups. In multivariate analysis, three factors were significantly related to the development of delirium: mortality during six months (odds ratio [OR] = 13.86, 95% CI [2.10–31.90]), alcohol (OR = 8.18, 95% CI [1.13–16.60]), and hemodialysis (OR = 4.34, 95% CI [2.06–93.08]). Conclusions Approximately 40% of the elderly patients suffered from postoperative delirium in major leg amputation. Identifying those with risk factors for postoperative delirium and intervening at the early stage will be of great benefit in major leg amputations for the elderly population.

Risk factors of postoperative delirium following liver transplantation

BACKGROUND Postoperative delirium (POD) after liver transplantation is a serious complication. This study investigated the incidence and the risk factors of POD in liver transplantation recipients. METHODS Three hundred and sixty eight adult recipients who had undergone liver transplantation were included. We reviewed medical records and the POD was determined by either psychiatric consultation or established diagnostic criteria. Recipients were divided into two groups according to the occurrence of POD: POD group (n = 150) and non-POD group (n = 218), and risk factors were assessed. RESULTS One hundred fifty (40.8%) of the 368 recipients developed POD after liver transplantation. History of alcohol consumption and alcoholic liver disease, history of hepatic encephalopathy, preoperative mental status changes, ventilator care, dialysis, hypotension, and ICU care were significantly higher in the POD group. In the preoperative laboratory test, sodium was lower while bilirubin, PT (INR) and MELD score were higher in the POD group. Postoperative variables including dialysis, ventilator care duration, ICU stay, hospital stay, glucose and ammonia were significantly higher in the POD group. Three variables were identified as independent predictors of POD in a multiple regression analysis: history of alcohol consumption (odds ratio, 2.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-3.72; P = 0.02), history of hepatic encephalopathy (odds ratio, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.46-4.41, P<0.01), and MELD score (odds ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00-1.06; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS The development of POD and related morbidity and mortality would be reduced if we identified the recipients with risk factors preoperatively and applied early intervention.

Peroneal Neuropathy After Liver Transplantation

INTRODUCTION The incidence of peroneal neuropathy (PN), occurring predominantly in the left leg, increases after the incorporation of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) devices among adult liver transplantation (OLT) recipients in our hospital. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible risk factors for PN and the reason for the left-leg predominance. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 501 OLT recipients. The patients were first divided into 2 groups, PN (n = 33) and non-PN (n = 468), to assess possible risk factors. The patients were then categorized into IPC (n = 262) and non-IPC (n = 239) groups according to the use of IPC devices. In a subsequent prospective study, we measured the degree and duration of the tilt of the operating table during OLT to investigate their relationship to the predominant left-leg PN. RESULTS The rate of IPC device use was significantly greater among the PN than non-PN group (78.8% vs 50.4%, P < .01). The incidence of PN was significantly higher among the IPC than non-IPC group (9.9% vs 2.9%, P < .01). The degree and duration of left tilt of the operating table were greater and longer than the right tilt. CONCLUSIONS The use of IPC devices during OLT increased the occurrence of PN and the left tilt of the operating table was strongly related to the predominant left-leg PN. Careful protection of the vulnerable point and minimization of the tilting of the operating table is advised during OLT, especially when IPC devices are used.