Introduction: Emergency transplantation of a donor liver that is not matched for the major blood antigens can produce marked immune-mediated cytokine release that can cause donor graft loss. Control of the inflammatory response may be a key element in treatment.
Methods: We present the case of a 46-year-old man with primary graft nonfunction after liver transplantation who underwent emergency retransplantation with an ABO-incompatible graft. A severe inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) was noted in the perioperioperative period of retransplantation. The patient was successfully treated for this condition with a new hemoadsorption column (CytoSorb®), in combination with continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) throughout the intraoperative and early postoperative period.
Results: During and after each treatment a significant and rapid decrease of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines was observed, especially for interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10 and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1). Reduction of cytokines was associated with normalization of cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance, and improved liver function.
Conclusions: We believe this is the first case in which hemoadsorptionin combination with CVVH has been used to manage SIRS in a patient with primary graft nonfunction undergoing emergency retransplantation.