J Korean Med Sci.  2010 Apr;25(4):527-531. 10.3346/jkms.2010.25.4.527.

Infections after Living Donor Liver Transplantation in Children

• Kim JE
• Oh SH
• Kim KM
• Choi BH
• Kim DY
• Cho HR
• Lee YJ
• Rhee KW
• Park SJ
• Lee YJ
• Lee SG

• KMID: 1792919
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2010.25.4.527

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the infectious complications after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in children. We enrolled 95 children (38 boys and 57 girls) who underwent LDLT from 1994 to 2004. The median age was 22 months (range, 6 months to 15 yr). We retrospectively investigated the proven episodes of bacterial, viral, and fungal infection. There occurred 150 infections in 67 (70%) of 95 patients (1.49 infections/patient); 74 in 43 patients were bacterial, 2 in 2 were fungal, and 74 in 42 were viral. The most common sites of bacterial infection were the bloodstream (33%) and abdomen (25%). Most of the bacterial infections occurred within the first month after LDLT. Bacterial and fungal infections did not result in any deaths. The most common causes of viral infection were Epstein-Barr virus in 37 patients and cytomegalovirus in 18. Seven of the 14 deaths after LDLT were associated with viral infection. Our study suggests that infection is one of the important causes of morbidity and mortality after LDLT. Especially careful monitoring and management of viral infections is crucial for improving the outcome of LDLT in children.

Keyword

Infection; Liver Transplantation; Living Donors; Child

MeSH Terms

Adult
Child
Communicable Diseases/*etiology/microbiology/mortality/virology
Female
Humans
Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use
Infection/*etiology/microbiology/mortality/virology
Liver Transplantation/*adverse effects/mortality
*Living Donors
Male
*Postoperative Complications/microbiology/mortality/virology
Retrospective Studies
Immunosuppressive Agents

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