Hepatopulmonary Syndrome and Liver Transplantation: Impact on Survival and Postoperative Complications

BACKGROUND Liver transplantation (LT) is the preferred treatment for patients with cirrhosis who have hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS). However, the effect of HPS on LT remains controversial. We assessed the correlation between HPS severity and LT survival and compared the incidence of postoperative complications between patients with and without HPS undergoing LT. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the recipients who received living-donor LT in our institute between January 2016 and July 2019. Patients with HPS (HPS group) and patients without HPS (non-HPS group) were included in our study. HPS is defined as a defect in arterial oxygenation caused by the presence of intrapulmonary vascular dilatations, which is found by transthoracic echocardiography with pre-existing liver cirrhosis. HPS severity was graded according to the value of partial pressure of arterial oxygen. The demographic characteristics and clinical outcomes between the HPS and non-HPS groups were compared. RESULTS A total of 181 patients were enrolled. Among them, 104 patients (57.5%) had HPS. The mean overall survival of HPS and non-HPS groups was 69.82±3.1 vs 63.36±3.8 months, with no significant difference (P=0.332). The overall survival between different degrees of HPS was also compared, and showed no significant difference (P=0.466). The HPS group had a higher incidence of delayed extubation (22.1% vs 10.4%, P=0.028) and chest pigtail catheter insertion (16.3% vs 10.4%, P=0.012). Nevertheless, it did not lead to a longer Intensive Care Unit/hospital stay or higher risk of short-term mortality. CONCLUSIONS Patients with HPS tend to have more post-LT pulmonary complications, but the overall survival is not adversely influenced, regardless of the severity of HPS.