Emergency liver transplantation following severe liver trauma

Liver trauma is a major cause of mortality after major blunt and penetrating abdominal trauma. The need for life-saving emergency hepatectomy and liver transplantation is extremely rare. We report the management of 2 patients who required urgent liver transplantation for liver trauma. One patient developed hepatic failure following global ischemia after a gunshot injury. The second patient developed a severe postreperfusion injury following removal of a perihepatic pack after blunt abdominal trauma. We highlight the difficulties in the management of severe liver trauma with an emphasis on the clinical features, radiological investigations, and surgical treatment of these complex patients.