Early Hepatoduodenal Ligament Occlusion Versus Classic Technique During Recipient Hepatectomy for Living Donor Liver Transplant.

OBJECTIVES: Intraoperative bleeding is commonly encountered during living donor liver transplant procedures and is associated with greater need for blood transfusion, which increases morbidity. Herein, we hypothesized that early and continuous occlusion ofthe hepatic inflow would have a beneficial effect on the living donor liver transplant procedure regarding intraoperative blood loss and operative time.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This comparative study prospectively included 23 consecutive patients (the experimental group) who had early inflow occlusion during recipient hepatectomy for living donor liver transplant and compared the outcomes versus 29 consecutive patients who had previously received (immediately before the start of our study) living donor liver transplant by the classic technique. Blood loss and time for hepatic mobilization and dissection were compared between the 2 groups.

RESULTS: Patient criteria and indication for living donor liver transplant showed no significant difference between the 2 groups. There was a significant decrease in blood loss during hepatectomy in the study group versus the control group (2912 vs 3826 mL, respectively; P = .017). Packed red blood cell transfusion was less in the study group versus the control group (1550 vs 2350 cells, respectively; P < .001). The skin-to-hepatectomy time was not different between the 2 groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Early hepatic inflow occlusion is a simple and effective technique to reduce intraoperative blood loss and reduce the need for blood transfusion products during living donor liver transplant.