MELD-based indices as predictors of mortality in chronic liver disease patients who undergo emergency surgery with general anesthesia.

BACKGROUND

Underlying chronic liver disease is associated with high morbidity and mortality after emergency surgery, which complicates clinical decisions over performing such surgery. In addition, the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score is limited in its ability to predict postoperative residual liver function. This study was designed to determine whether the scores of the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD)-based indices are effective predictors of mortality following emergency surgery in patients with chronic liver disease.

METHOD

Medical records of 53 chronic liver disease patients who underwent emergency surgery under general anesthesia from 2001 to 2008 were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

Median preoperative CTP score was 6 (5-12); MELD, 11 (6-33); MELD-Na, 15 (7-34); integrated MELD (iMELD), 33 (14-64); and MELD to sodium ratio, 8 (4-24). During a median 11-month follow-up period, 19 (35.8%) patients died. Five of them (26.3%) had operative mortality (i.e., mortality within 30 days after surgery). On multivariate analysis, CTP class C was correlated with operative mortality, and estimated blood loss above 300 ml and the iMELD score above 35 were significantly correlated with overall mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

iMELD reflects underlying liver function and predicts overall mortality more accurately than CTP and other MELD-based indices scores do in chronic liver disease patients after emergency surgery with general anesthesia.