A single centre prospective study of liver function tests in post liver transplant patients

Liver transplantation means surgical replacement of a diseased liver with a healthy liver. The survival rate used to be 30 % after 1 year and LTx was considered to be the last procedure when all medical or surgical intervention failed. Advances in donor organ preservation, surgical techniques, patient selection, immunosuppressive regimens and treatments for opportunistic infections all have contributed to substantially improve the survival rates. Despite substantial technological, medical and surgical advances, liver transplantation remains a complex procedure that is accompanied by significant morbidity and mortality. The post-operative outcome of each patient varies greatly depending on the patient's pre- operative state, quality of the donated organ and the complexity of the surgery. Complications occur both immediately post transplant and in the long term. Most of the problems can be satisfactorily assessed with a panel of routine LFTs results of which are generated quickly, cheaply on the analyzer which operates 24 h. Liver Function Test identifies the presence of problem but not problem itself. Abnormal results can be meaningful only when used with clinical data, radiological findings. The study includes 75 post LTx patients in three groups adults (non ACR), Pediatrics and ACR. All recipients were on immunosuppressive therapy (tacrolimus, mycophenolate and methylprednisolone), antiviral (ganciclovir), antiprotozoal, antibacterial and antifungal (fluconazole). 5 mL of blood was drawn in plain vacutainer from the post LTx patients every day for 15 days and LFT and GGT was done. Routinely performed liver function tests correlates well with clinical complications involving liver in the transplant patients. Instead of daily testing, may be alternate day analysis of LFT should be sufficient for effective monitoring of patients. The total protein and albumin and the transaminases offer little help in monitoring LFT post LTx. The elevated levels of serum GGT and ALP may be related to chronic immune damage to the transplanted liver. Serum GGT and ALP can be used as early markers for diagnosing biliary complications and can be used to asses adequacy of endoscopic treatment in the group of patients presenting early. Thus, most of the problems can be satisfactorily assed with a panel of routine LFTs generated quickly, cheaply on analyzer which operates 24 h each day. However, it must be emphasized that LFTs may identify the presence of problems but not the problem itself and the abnormal results are meaningful only when correlated with other clinical information.