Incidence of Ischemia Reperfusion Injury Related Biliary Complications in Liver Transplantation: Effect of Different Types of Donors.

Liver transplantation from donors after circulatory death (DCD) is associated with considerable rates of primary nonfunction and ischemic-type biliary lesions. Compared with donation was after brain death (DBD), the biggest disadvantage of DCD is warm ischemia injury in the procurement stage. Donation after brain death followed by circulatory death (DBCD) is a unique practice in China. Such donors should donate according to the DCD procedure, that is, remove life support and donate after cardiac arrest. We retrospectively analyzed donor and recipient characteristics with preoperative and postoperative parameters according to 3 donation types to comprehensively describe incidence of ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) related biliary complications among different donor type adult liver transplantation recipients. A total of 50 patients were included in this study (DBD group n = 17, DCD group n = 26, DBCD group n = 7). Only 1 patient, whose donor type was DBCD was diagnosed with ischemic-type biliary lesions demonstrated cast and retrograde ascending cholangitis. Rates of primary graft non-function (DBD n = 1, 5.9%; DCD n = 2, 7.7%; DBCD, 0%; P = .546) were similar and total biliary complications (DBD n = 1, 5.9%; DCD n = 1, 3.8%; DBCD N = 2, 28.6%; P = .042) were different. No differences were found regarding development of postreperfusion syndrome or coagulopathy in 3 groups. Compared with standard DBD donor, the clinical outcome of DCD donor liver transplantation was satisfactory, with no increase in the incidence of IRI, and, no difference in the incidence of ischemic bile duct complications. This work was carried out in compliance with the Helsinki Congress and the Declaration of Istanbul.