Background/aims: This study identified risk factors associated with prolonged intubation after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).
Methodology: Out of 50 patients who underwent LDLT, clinical data were compared between those extubated within 4 days of LDLT (early group; n=20) and those extubated 5 days post-LDLT (delayed group; n=30).
Results: Univariate analysis associated the following factors with prolonged intubation: preoperative age >48 years (p=0.05), body mass index >22 kg/m² (p=0.01), creatinine clearance <90 mL/min/1.73 m² (p=0.003), ratio between arterial oxygen tension and fractional inspired oxygen ≤375 (p=0.02) and postoperative changes of body-weight per body surface area ((BW - preoperative BW)/BSA)) on postoperative day (POD) 3 (>2.0 kg/m²) (p=0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that creatinine clearance and (BW - preoperative BW)/BSA on POD 3 remained as independent predictive factors (p=0.04 and 0.04, respectively).
Conclusions: We should aim for postoperative fluid management such that ((BW - preoperative BW)/BSA) ≤2.0 kg/m² on POD 3, especially in patients with low preoperative levels of creatinine clearance.