Pre-Transplant Laboratory Parameters and Early Outcomes in HBV-Related Deceased Donor Liver Transplantation

Background: Early postoperative outcomes after deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) are influenced by recipient, donor, and perioperative factors. Routinely available pre-transplant laboratory tests may provide complementary information for risk assessment. This study aimed to explore associations between routine pre-transplant laboratory parameters and early postoperative outcomes after DDLT. Methods: This retrospective single-center descriptive pilot study included 32 adult recipients who underwent DDLT for hepatitis B virus-related liver disease between 2004 and 2019. Pre-transplant biochemical and hematologic parameters were evaluated in relation to in-hospital mortality, biliary complications, infectious complications, bleeding, and hospital stay. Descriptive group comparisons and exploratory receiver operating characteristic analyses were performed. Results: In-hospital mortality occurred in 6/32 recipients (18.8%), biliary complications in 5/32 (15.6%), infectious complications in 9/32 (28.1%), and postoperative bleeding in 2/32 (6.2%). Routine laboratory parameters did not significantly discriminate mortality. Among 28 recipients with available potassium measurements, four developed biliary complications. Potassium showed exploratory discrimination for biliary complications (AUC = 0.818, p = 0.048), based on only four biliary events. Bilirubin and GGT did not significantly discriminate mortality. Conclusions: Routine pre-transplant laboratory parameters showed no consistent association with in-hospital mortality after DDLT. The potassium association is hypothesis-generating and requires validation in larger cohorts before clinical application.