Introduction: Pulmonary complications after liver transplantation (LT) have previously been associated with longer hospital stays and ventilator time, and higher mortality. This study reports the outcomes for a specific pulmonary complication, pleural effusion, in LT recipients.
Methods: Records from a single transplant center were analyzed retrospectively for all adult LT patients. Patients with documented pleural effusion by radiographic imaging within 30 days pre- or post-transplant were considered as cases. Outcomes included length of hospital stay, discharge disposition, hospital readmission, discharge with home oxygen, and 1-year survival.
Results: During the 4-year study period, 512 LTs were performed, with 107 patients (21%) developing a peri-transplant pleural effusion. In total, 49 patients (10%) had a pre-transplant effusion, 91 (18%) had a post-transplant effusion, and 32 (6%) had both. Characteristics associated with the presence of any pleural effusion included an increasing model for end-stage liver disease score, re-transplantation, diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease, low protein levels, and sarcopenia. Effusion patients had longer hospital stays (17 vs 9 days, P < .001) and higher likelihood of discharge to a care facility (48% vs 21%, P < .001). Ninety-day readmission occurred in 69% of effusion patients (vs 44%, P < .001). One-year patient survival with any effusion was 86% (vs 94%, P < .01).
Conclusions: Overall, 21% of recipients developed a clinically significant peri-transplant pleural effusion. Pleural effusion was associated with worse outcomes for all clinical measures. Risk factors for the development of pleural effusion included higher MELD score (>20), re-transplantation, alcoholic liver disease, and poor nutrition status, including poor muscle mass.
Keywords: complications; liver transplant; malnutrition; outcomes; pleural effusion.