Hepatopulmonary Syndrome and Postoperative Complications After Liver Transplantation : A Case-control Study.

Hepatopulmonary Syndrome is a respiratory complication of liver cirrhosis defined as a triad: hypoxemia (PaO2 < 80 mmHg in room air), chronic liver disease and intrapulmonary vasodilatations. Its prevalence varies between 4 and 32%. Numerous treatments have been tried but the only efficient therapy to cure the syndrome is liver transplantation. Without transplantation it is associated with a higher mortality which is the reason why hepatopulmonary syndrome patients have a higher priority to transplantation. However it appears in some restricted studies that hepatopulmonary syndrome is associated with more postoperative complications (infections, vascular and biliary complications, prolonged length of mechanical ventilation...).

The investigators hypothesised that hepatopulmonary syndrome patients have more postoperative complications after liver transplantation than non hepatopulmonary syndrome patients matched on age, MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) score, comorbidities, perioperative transfusion and noradrenaline doses.