Impact of Donor Risk Index on Risk of Hepatic Artery Thrombosis in Patients After Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

Hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) is one of the most severe complications after liver transplantation (LT). HAT can lead to early graft loss and retransplantation or death of the recipient.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from patients treated between January 2008 and December 2013 in the Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery at the Medical University of Warsaw. A total of 750 patients underwent LT over this period.

HAT occurred in 27 patients (2.1%). The median DRI was 1.414 (IQR 1.103-1.578) points and median donor age was 47 (IQR 33-56) years. The optimal cut-off value of DRI in predicting HAT was ≥1.328 points. The cutoff point was characterized by sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 88.0%, 41.3%, 5.5% and 98.9%, respectively (AUC = 0.605, 95% CI 0.477-0.733). A DRI ≥1.328 was a significant risk factor for HAT (OR = 5.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.529-17.48, P = .008). The optimal cutoff point for donor age was 50 years and was characterized by sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 66.7%, 55.8%, 5.3%, and 97.8%, respectively. Donor age ≥50 years (OR = 2.53, 95% CI 1.123-5.714, P = .025) was a significant risk factor for HAT.

DRI is a clinically relevant factor that allows estimating the risk of HAT after liver transplantation from a deceased donor. To reduce the incidence of this complication, the allocation of organs taken from donors at DRI exceeding 1.328 for recipients without other HAT risk factors should be considered.