Mortality risk factors of a pediatric population with fulminant hepatic failure undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation in a pediatric intensive care unit*

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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine risk factors of mortality in the preoperative, perioperative, and immediate postoperative period of a pediatric population that has undergone orthotopic liver transplantation for fulminant hepatic failure in a pediatric intensive care unit. DESIGN: Retrospective review of medical records. SETTING: A pediatric intensive care unit in a children's hospital. PATIENTS: Sixty patients with fulminant hepatic failure who fulfilled King's College criteria for liver transplantation. INTERVENTION: Orthotopic liver transplantation was performed according to standard techniques. Before transplantation, patients were admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit when intensive care was required, and patients were always admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit after the operation. Measurements: A total of 20 variables were studied via univariate and multivariate analysis; statistical significance was accepted when p </=.05. MAIN RESULTS: A total of 70 orthotopic liver transplantations were performed in 60 children (mean age, 64.11 +/- 40.97 months; range, 11 months to 14 yrs) for fulminant hepatic failure. Fulminant hepatic failure was caused by hepatitis A virus in 60% of cases, and non-A non-B non-C hepatitis was responsible in 40% of cases. Univariate analysis showed that the complications of infectious, hemodynamic, renal, and gastrointestinal bleeding are significant variables. Posttransplant respiratory support was also a significant variable. When the same variables were calculated with a multivariate analysis, no significant results were obtained. Multivariate analysis showed that mortality risk factors in this population were: etiology of liver failure (p <.002), liver size (p <.014), ischemia time (p <.041), ventilatory support before transplantation (p <.048), neurologic complications after orthotopic liver transplantation (p <.003), and acute rejection (p <.021). CONCLUSIONS: Hepatitis A virus is the major cause of fulminant liver failure in Argentina, but non-A non-B non-C hepatitis is an independent risk factor of mortality. Reduced-size graft, longer ischemia time, ventilatory support before orthotopic liver transplantation, neurologic complications, and acute rejection after transplantation are independent predictive factors of mortality. Better sanitary conditions and universal immunization for hepatitis A virus should reduce hepatitis A virus and hepatitis A virus-induced fulminant hepatic failure.