4th Congress of the Spanish Society of TransplantationLiver transplantationInfluence of Body Mass Index on Venous Thrombotic Complications of Liver Transplants

•No differences in the rate of venous thrombotic complications or survival were found as a function of the body mass index class of these liver transplant recipients.•Complication rates are not higher in obese patients.•Obesity should not be considered a contraindication for liver transplantation based on the risk of venous complications.

ObjectiveTo analyze venous thrombotic complications in transplanted patients as a function of their body mass index (BMI).Materials and MethodsThis single-center, observational retrospective study of individuals undergoing liver transplantation between January 2008 and December 2014 analyzed the frequency of pretransplant portal thrombosis, post-transplant venous complications (early and late portal thrombosis), deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary thromboembolism and the survival outcomes as a function of World Health Organization BMI class.ResultsLiver transplantation was performed in 208 patients during the study period. No statistically significant differences in study variables were found as a function of BMI in bivariate analyses (P < .05), and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis results were also nonsignificant.ConclusionNo differences in the rate of venous thrombotic complications or survival were found as a function of the BMI class of these liver transplant recipients. These findings are in line with previous reports that complication rates are not higher in obese patients and support the proposal that obesity should not be considered a contraindication for liver transplantation based on the risk of venous complications.