Introduction: Re-exploration in Living Donor Liver Transplantation(LDLT) is required in patients for various causes, bleeding being the commonest cause. The outcome of these patients is variable depending upon the cause and timing of re-exploration. We wanted to analyse our data of re-exploration in LDLT and their outcomes. Methods: The study period was from March 2013 till October 2016. All those patients who underwent re-exploration post-LDLT were analysed for the cause and timing of re-exploration, model for end stage liver disease(MELD) score, their hospital stay and mortality following re-exploration. Results: During the study period we performed 164 liver transplants [LDLT-139 and deceased donor liver transplantation(DDLT)-25], and 27(16.46%) required re-exploration(LDLT-22/139, 15.82%, DDLT-5/25, 20%). The etiology for re-exploration (27 episodes in 22 recipients) in LDLT was bleed(intra-peritoneal-8, gastro-intestinal-1, chest-1, pack removal-5) in 15/27(55%), vascular in 3(hepatic artery thrombosis-2, portal vein thrombosis-1), burst abdomen-3, necrotising fasciitis-2, graft dysfunction-2, biliary sepsis and intra-cranial bleed in one each. Bleeding was the commonest cause 11/22(50%) for early re-exploration (≤ 48 hours) and 8/11(72%) could be salvaged. There was no significant difference in the MELD score (19.9 versus 20.2, p=0.8633), hospital stay(32.23 versus 26.19 days, p=0.1685), and pre-transplant hospitalisation in those re-explored versus those not re-explored. Mortality in those who were re-explored in LDLT was 11/22(50%) as compared to 12/117(10.25%) those not re-explored, p=0.0001. Conclusion: Fifteen percent of patients would require re-exploration following LDLT. Early exploration for bleeding was associated with good success rate. However, re-exploration was associated with significant risk of mortality.

CITATION INFORMATION: Varma V, Sable S, Kapoor S, Chauhan A, Kumaran V. Incidence and Outcomes of Re-Explorations in Living Donor Liver Transplantation. Am J Transplant. 2017;17 (suppl 3).

« Back to 2017 American Transplant Congress