The effect of hyperbaric oxygen treatment on postoperative morbidity of left lobe donor in living donor adult liver transplantation.

Background/aims: In living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), donor safety has top priority, and donor morbidity should be minimized to zero. However, several corporal problems still remain. The effect of hyperbaric oxygenation treatment (HBO) was evaluated for donor morbidity in LDLT.

Methodology: A total of 14 consecutive donors were studied. The donors into were divided into 2 groups as follows: HBO group (n=7), which started HBO 3 days after operation, and a control group (n=7). Patient's factors, graft volume, liver regeneration rate, liver function tests and postoperative complications ware compared between the 2 groups.

Results: There was no significant difference between the groups in whole liver, graft and remnant liver volume. The incidence of wound numbness on POD 28 was 86% (6/7) in the control group and 29% (2/7) in the HBO group (p<0.05). Postoperative hospital stay was 14.4 and 14.6 days in the control and HBO group, respectively (p=NS). On POD 14, AST value in the HBO group was significantly lower than in the control group (p<0.05). PT% value in the HBO group was significantly higher than in the control group on POD 14 (p<0.05). Total bilirubin level in the HBO group was significantly lower than in the control group on POD 14 and 28 (p<0.05), and total bile acid value in the HBO group was significantly lower than the control group (p<0.05) on POD 14. Albumin level in the HBO group was significantly higher than the control group on POD 7, 10 and 28 (p<0.05). Four weeks after the operation, the regeneration rate was significantly higher in the HBO group than in the control group (p<0.05).

Conclusions: Liver regeneration was promoted by HBO preserving a function in LDLT using left lobe graft. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy seems to be very useful to LDLT.