To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Researchers Pinpoint Risk Factors for Infections Post-Liver Transplantation URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/223206.htm Doctor's Guide June 6, 2008
HOBOKEN, NJ -- June 6, 2008 -- Nearly 9% of patients who recently underwent liver transplantation suffered a subsequent surgical site infection (SSI). Risk factors included having had biliary-enteric anastomosis, previous liver or kidney transplant, and more than 4 red blood cell units transfused. These findings are published in the June issue of Liver Transplantation. Researchers aimed to determine the incidence, timing, location, and risk factors, including antibiotic prophylaxis, for such infections. They designed a prospective study that included 1,222 consecutive patients who received liver transplants in 11 Spanish hospitals between August 2003 and September 2005. They included all infections that developed up to 6 months after surgery, including both wound incision and organ/space infection, hepatic and intra-abdominal abscess, and peritonitis. To assess risk factors for SSIs, they looked at patients who became ill in the first 30 days following their surgery. They then examined possible risk factors for their infections. SSIs occurred in 8.8% of patients, most within the first few weeks after the transplant. About 10% of these were fatal. The predominant infection site was the incision. Thirty-nine percent of infections were peritonitis, 16% were intra-abdominal abscesses, and 10% were hepatic abscesses. Most infections were caused by gram-negative aerobic bacteria. Infection risk was related to choice of antibiotic prophylaxis, with the highest risk seen with the use of cefazolin. Fungal infection occurred in 10 cases, a remarkably high number, because many of the participant institutions used fluconazole. After multivariate analysis, the authors found that, biliary-enteric anastomosis, previous liver or kidney transplant, and more than 4 red blood cell units transfused were independently associated with the development of SSIs. The results provide insight into the risk of SSIs in relation to previous transplantation, choledocho-jejunal reconstruction, and red blood cell transfusion, which could motivate new studies to aid in understanding the pathogenesis of SSIs in liver transplantation. SOURCE: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.