Impact of tobacco and alcohol consumption in patients registered on waiting list on early morbidity following liver transplantation

SummaryBackgroundLiver transplantation (LT) is a high-risk surgery associated with postoperative complications. Smoking and drinking are known risk factors of long-term post-LT complications, but their role in early complications is still questioned.Patients and methodsWe retrieved from our medical files the data of all patients registered for LT and who had had a consultation with a physician specialized in substance abuse. Consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs before and after registration for LT was assessed.ResultsOne hundred and five patients were included. Pre-registration smoking and drinking rates were 75.3 and 69.5%, respectively. Forty-three patients continued smoking and nine continued drinking until LT. Mortality and early morbidity rates were not impacted by smoking or drinking. Active smokers had significantly increased prevalence of bacterial cholangitis in comparison to patients who stopped smoking when registered for LT.ConclusionPersistent drinking in patients registered for LT is rare as compared to smoking; however, in our series, smoking until LT was not associated with major risk of early complication, except for cholangitis. This suggests that clinicians should take time to encourage patients to quit smoking and the intervention of a team specialized in substance abuse could be highly beneficial.