Use of ultrasound-guided preoperative diaphragmatic thickness as a predictor of postoperative weaning failure in recipients and donors scheduled for living donor liver transplant surgery.

Background and Objectives: The present study was designed to explore the utility of ultrasound-guided diaphragmatic thickness in the preoperative period in healthy controls scheduled for live-related donor hepatectomy and patients suffering from chronic liver disease scheduled for liver transplantation (LT) and its use as a predictor of postoperative weaning failure.

Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary health care center and 65 adult (18-70 years) participants (30 healthy liver donors and 35 liver transplant recipients) were enrolled for this study. Right diaphragmatic thickness of both donors and recipients was measured by B-mode ultrasound using a 10 MHz linear array transducer in the supine position in the operation theater just before induction of anesthesia. For subgroup analysis of the recipients, we further divided them into two groups - Group 1 (diaphragmatic thickness < 2 mm) and Group 2 (diaphragmatic thickness > 2 mm), and comparison was done for duration of mechanical ventilation. Intergroup comparison was made for duration of mechanical ventilation and various other parameters.

Results: The sonographic measurement of diaphragm revealed that its thickness is decreased in patients with chronic liver disease patients (2.12 ± 0.54 mm) as compared to healthy donors (3.70 ± 0. 58 mm). On multiple logistic regression, higher duration of mechanical ventilation was associated with diaphragmatic thickness < 2 mm (Group 1 of recipients) (adjusted odds ratio 0.86; 95% confidence interval: 0.75-0.99; P = 0.013) after adjusting for age, gender, and body mass index.

Conclusions: Diaphragmatic thickness is decreased in patients with chronic liver disease as compared to healthy liver donors. Preoperative measurement of ultrasound-guided right hemidiaphragm thickness can be used to predict weaning failure in patients undergoing LT. Other studies are needed to confirm these finding on different group of patients.