Assessing the risk of surgery in patients with cirrhosis.

Patients with cirrhosis have an increased perioperative risk relative to patients without cirrhosis. This is related to numerous cirrhosis-specific factors, including severity of liver disease, impaired synthetic function, sarcopenia and malnutrition, and portal hypertension, among others. Nonhepatic comorbidities and surgery-related factors further modify the surgical risk, adding to the complexity of the preoperative assessment.

Trends in deceased donor liver enzymes prior to transplant: The impact on graft selection and outcomes.

We sought to characterize the trend in alanine aminotransferase elevations prior to transplant and the impact on the pattern of enzyme elevations on organ utilization and graft function. We performed a retrospective cohort study of UNOS data on all deceased donors between 2007 and 2016. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was categorized into six study groups with peak ALT < 499, 500-749, 750-999, 1000-1999, 2000-2999, and >3000 IU/L.

Stability of diluted adenosine solutions in polyvinyl chloride infusion bags.

Purpose: The stability of diluted adenosine solutions in polyvinyl chloride infusion bags was studied.

Methods: Adenosine 50-, 100-, and 220-μg/mL solutions were prepared in 50-mL polyvinyl chloride (PVC) infusion bags containing 0.9% sodium chloride injection or 5% dextrose injection and stored at room temperature (23-25 °C) or under refrigeration (2-8 °C).