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Updated: Nov 23, 2025
Technique of Porcine Liver Procurement and Orthotopic Transplantation using an Active Porto-Caval Shunt
Published on: May 7, 2015
Opioid use prior to liver transplant is associated with increased risk of death after transplant
Hillary J Braun1, Marisa P Schwab1, Chengshi Jin2
1Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Background:
Opioids are generally discouraged and used sparingly in liver transplant (LT) candidates prior to LT. This study examined the relationship between opioid use at the time of LT and graft and patient survival following transplantation.
Methods:
A retrospective single center cohort study of LT recipients from June 2012 to December 2019 was performed. Primary outcomes were graft and patient survival, analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models; primary predictor was active opioid prescription at LT.
Results:
751 LT recipients were included; 16% had an opioid prescription at LT. Post-transplant death was significantly greater in opioid users (pvalue<0.001). In a multivariable Cox model examining predictors of death, opioid use remained associated with a significant increase in the risk of death (HR 2.4 CI 1.5-4.0, p < 0.001) even after controlling for other factors.
Conclusion:
Opioid use at LT is associated with a markedly increased risk of death following transplant.
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