Evaluation of a Perioperative Fungal Prophylaxis Protocol Change in Orthotopic Liver Transplant

Orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) carries a risk for invasive fungal infections (IFI). A targeted antifungal prophylaxis protocol can identify OLT patients who warrant antifungal prophylaxis. The optimal protocol and appropriate risk factors have yet to be confirmed.

This study aimed to describe the impact of a targeted antifungal prophylaxis protocol post OLT on rates of IFI and protocol adherence.

This was a retrospective observational cohort study of patients ≥18 years old with an OLT at Cleveland Clinic. Pre-protocol was defined as June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020 and post-protocol was June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022. The primary objective was to determine adherence to the prophylaxis protocol on postoperative day (POD) 0. Secondary objectives included comparing the 90-day incidence of proven or probable IFI post-OLT between groups.

The pre-protocol group included 134 patients, whereas the post-protocol group included 166. Prior to protocol implementation, 73% received clotrimazole, 13% fluconazole, 13% micafungin, and 1% nystatin. After protocol implementation, 63% received clotrimazole, 16% fluconazole, and 21% micafungin. Adherence to the protocol was 66% on POD0 and increased to 84% over the duration of prophylaxis. Rates of IFI development decreased to 3.6% after implementation from 6.7% prior to the protocol (P = 0.22). Median time to IFI was 8 days (interquartile range [IQR] = 2-19) pre-protocol and 15 days (IQR = 6-17) post-protocol.

The implementation of a post-OLT-targeted antifungal prophylaxis protocol can promote consistency in antifungal prophylaxis. This study showed an 84% adherence rate to the implemented protocol, with numerically lower rates of IFIs post-protocol compared with pre-protocol.