Early postoperative complications of pediatric liver transplantation

We reviewed records of 35 pediatric liver transplant recipients who were operated at the Shiraz Organ Transplant Center between April 1998 and April 2005 to gather demographic data, primary diagnosis, duration of hospital stay, source of graft, mortality, and surgical (vascular, biliary, fluid collection) and medical (infection, respiratory, neurological, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal) complications. Among 23 male and 12 female pediatric liver transplant recipients (mean age: 11.8+/-4.9 years) with a mean hospital stay duration of 23.3+/-20.3 days, the postoperative complications included biliary leakage (7.20%), biliary stricture (3.10%), biliary obstruction (3.10%), pleural effusion (9.26%), lung collapse (n=1) pulmonary hemorrhage (n=1), and vascular complications of portal and hepatic vasculature (n=10, 28.6%); and infections of the peritoneum, lung, wound site, and urinary tract (n=10; 28.6%). Acute cellular rejection was documented in 6 (17.1%) recipients. Overall, 13 (37.1%) children died.