Post-Operative Complications in Living Liver Donors: A Single-Center Experience in China

PLoS One. 2015 Aug 13;10(8):e0135557. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135557. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

The gap between the growing demand for available organs and the cadaveric organs facilitates the adoption of living donor liver transplantation. We retrospectively identified and evaluated the post-operative complications as per the modified Clavien classification system in 152 living liver donors at at the First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University between December, 2006 and June, 2014. Post-operative complications were observed in 61 patients (40.1%) in the present study, but no mortality was reported. Complications developed in 58 (40.0%) right, 1 (33.3%) left, and 2 (66.7%) lateral left hepatectomy donors. The prevalence of re-operation was 1.3%. Grade I and II complications were observed in 38 (25.0%) and 11 (7.2%) donors, respectively. Grade IIIa complications developed in 9 (5.9%) donors and only 3 (2.0%) patients reported grade IIIb complications. The most common complication was pleural effusion that occurred in 31 (20.4%) donors. No significant prognostic baseline factor was identified in this study. In conclusion, living donors experienced various complications, which were usually mild and had a good prognosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • China
  • Female
  • Hepatectomy / adverse effects*
  • Hepatectomy / methods
  • Humans
  • Liver Transplantation / adverse effects
  • Liver Transplantation / methods
  • Living Donors*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Postoperative Complications / epidemiology*
  • Postoperative Complications / pathology*
  • Prognosis
  • Reoperation / statistics & numerical data
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Science and Technology Planning Project of Zhejiang Province, China (2013C33226, http://www.zjkjt.gov.cn/), Health Bureau of Zhejiang Province Foundation, China (2014KYA085, http://www.zjwst.gov.cn/), and Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, China (LY14H030003, http://www.zjnsf.gov.cn/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.