Analysis of the Liver Effluent as a Marker of Preservation Injury and Early Graft Performance

In liver transplantation, the effluent solution, which represents the washout of residual preservation solution, can be collected before reperfusion to determine the release of the markers of endothelial cell injury and damage to the liver. The enzyme activities detected in the washout solution may allow the development of an index that could be clinically valuable for the prediction of early posttransplant graft function. In the present study, we collected liver effluents from 47 livers at the time of graft rinsing to measure liver enzymes (aminotransferases and lactate dehydrogenase) as well as the serum enzyme levels of the recipients for correlation with early postoperative graft viability (1-month survival). The patients were divided into two groups: death (D) and survival (S). Nonparametric statistical analysis was used with the level of significance set at P < .05. Aminotransferases and lactate dehydrogenase levels higher among the D group (P < .05 for all measurements), leading us to conclude that the effluent represents a good marker of preservation injury and early graft performance.