Objective To summarize the clinical course of acute interstitial pneumonitis (AIP) associated pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) in 8 recipients after liver transplantation,and further discuss the potential risk factors and therapeutic highlights.Methods A total of 476 pediatric patients received liver transplantation in Tianjin First Center Hospital from January 2012 to September 2016.Among them,8 cases of AIP associated PARDS in ICU were recruited in this study.Medical data including clinical presentation,ICU management and outcomes were analyzed retrospectively.Results The onset time-window of AIP associated PARDS was (2.67 ± 0.77) months after liver transplantation,and the time interval between initial symptom and ICU administration was (6.75 ± 5.82) days.Five cases had the history of acute rejection therapy,and 5 cases had CMV and/or EBV viremia history.All 8 cases received mechanical ventilation,2 cases given nasal non-invasive ventilation and the rest 6 cases given invasive ventilation,3 of which were switched to high frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) combined with inhaled nitric oxide.At the stage of hypoxic climax,the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) was up-regulated to 1.0 to maintain the oxygenation index (OI) of (25.24 ± 5.94).Temporary replacement of immunosuppressants with intravenous glucocorticoids was implemented in all 8 cases without acute rejection episode.Of 8 cases,2 cases died from PARDS,1 case died from portal thrombosis associated hepatic failure,and the rest 5 cases survived.Conclusion AIP associated PARDS is a critical complication with high mortality in pediatric patients after liver transplantation.Excessively strong immunosuppression therapy at early post-transplant stage shows a risk factor for AIP.Lung protective ventilation strategy and HFOV are recommended to reduce ventilator induced lung injury in pediatric patients.Temporary intravenous glucocorticoids may reduce acute inflammatory reaction in PARDS patients without increasing the risk of acute rejection.

Aim To study the effect of artesunate on immuno-injured hepatic fibrosis induced by bovine ser-um albumin in rat model and the effect of artesunate on hepatic stellate cells ( HSCs ) proliferation, so as to provide experimental evidence for clinical application of artesunate and the treatment of hepatic fibrosis. Methods The model of immuno-injured hepatic fibro-sis induced by bovine serum albumin was established in Wistar rats. Rats were randomly divided into 5 groups:normal group, model group, low dose of arte-sunate, middle dose of artesunate and high dose of ar-tesunate. Drugs were given to the corresponding thera-peutic groups, and then were continued once a day for two months. Distilled water was given to the rats of normal and model groups according to the same meth-od. Liver tissues were used for measuring the content of collagen, the rat serum activities of albumin( Alb) , alanine aminotransferase ( ALT ) and aspartate amin-otransferase(AST). Liver tissue’ s pathological chan-ges were observed by HE and collagen staining. Isola-ted and cultured rat primary HSCs in the flask for 10 days to make cells activated, MTT assay was used to detect rate of cellular proliferation; concentration of hydroxyproline in supernatant was detected by digestive method; the expression of p53 was investigated by Western blot and RT-PCR. Results Serum levels of Alb in model group were significantly lower ( P <0. 05 ) , and levels of ALT and AST in model group were significantly higher ( P <0. 05 ) compared with normal group. Levels of AST in low, middle and high dose groups(3. 2, 9. 6, 28. 8 mg·kg-1 ) were signifi-cantly lower(P <0. 05) compared with model group, and levels of ALT in high dose groups were significant-ly lower(P<0. 01) compared with model group. The contents of collagen in model groups were significantly higher(P<0. 01) compared with normal group, while the contents of collagen in therapy groups significantly decreased ( P < 0. 05 ) compared with model group. Activated HSCs treated with various concentrations of artesunate (150, 175, 200 μmol·L-1 ) were inhibi-ted on dose and time-effect relationships. Production/secretion of hydroxyproline decreased after HSCs was treated by artesunate for 24 h; the expression of p53 was up-regulated showed by Western blot and RT-PCR in artesunate treated cells. Conclusion Artesunate brings about anti-fibrosis in vitro and in vivo by increas-ing the expression of p53 .

Objective To detect the protective effect of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) on Maastricht type Ⅱ donation after cardiac death (DCD) liver transplantation in pigs.Methods Twenty mini-pigs were randomized into ECMO group (n =10) and control group (n =10).Then 10 pigs in each group were randomized into donors and recipients.Maastricht type Ⅱ DCD model was induced in all of the 10 donors.Donors of ECMO group received 2-h ECMO after cardiac death,then underwent liver graft procurement.The donors of control group underwent liver procurement directly after cardiac death.Recipients of two groups underwent orthotopic liver transplantation without venovenous bypass.During this procedure,vital signs were monitored continuously,lactate and liver biochemistry were tested,and 5-day survival rate was observed.Results Maastricht type Ⅱ DCD model was successfully built in all of the donors with consequent dark liver.For donors of ECMO group,liver turned sanguinous and soft quickly after treatment of ECMO.There were no significant differences in operation time,anhepatic time and anhepatic hemodynamic changes between these two groups (P ＞ 0.05).As compared with control group,ECMO group had better hemodynamic parameters 30 min after reperfusion,lower lactate,ALT and AST levels 30 min after reperfusion and before closing the abdomen,and higher 5-day survival rate (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion ECMO may improve the quality of Maastricht type Ⅱ DCD liver graft,and increase the survival rate of DCD liver transplantation.

Objective To explore the effectiveness of octreotide therapeutic strategy to attenuate portal hyperperfusion resulted from small-for-size graft in infant liver transplantation.Methods A total of 22 infants received small-for-size liver graft (defined as GV/SLV＜0.5,and GV＜ 150 g) in our hospital from December 2013 to August 2016.Twelve cases (octreotide group) were treated with intravenous octreotide infusion (300 g daily for 24-96 h) to attenuate the portal hyperperfusion after transplantation,and the rest 10 cases given liver transplantation at the early stage did not receive the intervention of octreotide and served as control group.Results The initial portal vein flows (PVFs) in octreotide group and control group were (413.43 ± 76.24) (390.83 ± 107.89) ml/(min 100 g),and there was no significant difference between two groups (P＞0.05).The PVFs on postoperative day (POD) 3 and POD5 in octreotide group and control group were (334.90 ± 96.67) and (441.04 ± 117.41),and (322.20 ± 81.04) and (423.23 ± 100.81) mL/(min 100 g) respectively (P＜0.05 for all).However,there were no significant differences in serum AST and bilirubin levels at four time points (initial,POD3,POD5 and POD7) after transplantation between two groups (P＞0.05).The incidence of hepatic artery occlusion,and biliary complications in octreotide group and ontrol group was 33.33％ and 44.44％,and 33.33％ and 11.11％ respectively (P ＞ 0.05 for all).Conclusion Octreotide treatment attenuated portal hyperperfusion resulted from small-for-size graft in infant liver transplantation.However,the effects of octreotide therapy on graft biochemical tests,the hepatic artery and biliary complications were still unclear,and further investigation is needed.

Objective:To explore the risk factors for the occurrence of thrombocytopenia (TCP) within 2 weeks after pediatric liver transplantation (LT) and examine the relationship between the occurrence of TCP and prognosis.Methods:From January 2021 to November 2021, clinical data were retrospectively reviewed for 162 pediatric LT recipients aged under 4 years at Organ Transplantation Center of Tianjin First Central Hospital.Based upon the lowest value of platelet count at Week 2 post-operation, they were assigned into two groups of TCP (n=90) and non-TCP (n=72). General preoperative profiles, intraoperative findings, postoperative complications, types of commonly used antibiotics, anticoagulant dosing and prognosis of two groups were compared.Univariate and multivariate analyses were utilized for examining the independent risk factors for TCP.Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted for examining the cut-off value of independent risk factors for diagnosing TCP.Results:Among them, 90 (55.56%) developed TCP within 2 weeks post-operation and 25(15.43%) developed TCP at Day 1 post-operation.The median preoperative platelet count was 178×10 9/L and the lowest value was 65×10 9/L at Day 3(1-4) post-operation with a declining rate of 63.5% and platelet count of recipient normalized at Day 6(4-7.25) post-operation.The results of univariate analysis showed statistically significant inter-group differences in operative duration[(574.43±80.53)min vs.(526.75±72.42)min], intraoperative blood loss[400(300, 550)ml vs.320(300, 400)ml], red blood cell transfusion[2(2, 3)U vs.2(1.5, 2.0)U], preoperative platelet count[178.5(141.75, 242.5)×10 9/L vs.257 (209.75, 357)×10 9/L], postoperative infection rate[27.8%(25/90)vs.13.9%(10/72)] and dosing rates of piperacillin sodium and tazobactam sodium[8.9%(8/90)vs.25.0%(18/72)] ( P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed statistically significant inter-group differences in operative duration( P=0.008), red blood cell transfusion( P=0.01), preoperative platelet count( P<0.01) and postoperative infection rate ( P=0.02). The results of ROC curve analysis showed that the cut-off values of operative duration, red blood cell transfusion and preoperative platelet count were 535 min, 2.75 U and 183.5×10 9/L respectively.Length of ICU stay was higher in TCP group than that in non-TCP group, and the difference was statistically significant [4(3, 5) vs.3(3, 4) day, P=0.006]. Conclusions:LT children aged under 4 years with intraoperative red blood cell transfusion>2.75 U, operative duration>535 min and preoperative platelet count<183.5×10 9/L are more likely to develop post-transplantation TCP.And occurrence of TCP prolongs the length of ICU stay in pediatric recipients.

Objective To discuss the surgical strategy for children with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) and end-stage liver disease (ESLD).Methods We reported two eases of pediatric liver transplantation in patients with complex CHD and ESLD.Medical data including operation procedure,ICU management and outcomes were reviewed retrospectively.Also we reviewed the literature on the topic of clinical outcomes resulted from different surgery options.Results The first case was a seven-month-old male patient with biliary atresia and complex CHD (unroofed coronary sinus syndrome,persistent left superior vena cava,patent foramen ovale,and peripheral pulmonary stenosis).Liver transplantation was successfully performed without corrective heart surgery.The operation time was 6 h and 35 min.The patient suffered acute cardiac dysfunction and significant hypoxemia after extubation,then pneumonia developed,and eventually the patient died on post-operative day 12.The second case was a seven-month-old male patient with biliary atresia and complex CHD (ventricular septal defect,patent foramen ovale,patent ductus arteriosus,pulmonary stenosis).Liver transplantation was performed on the same day following total correction of cardiac defects by open-heart surgery.The operation time was 16 h and 15 min.The patient was extubated after 60 h ventilation,and was transferred to ward from ICU on post-operative day 6 with stable cardiopulmonary function.However,hepatic artery occlusion occurred on early postoperative stage,and consequently the patient received the second liver transplantation for ischemic biliary complication on post-operative day 40.The second liver transplantation procedure was uneventful.The liver graft recovered smoothly with stable hemodynamics.Conclusion Children with complex CHD undergoing liver transplantation are at an increased perioperative risk.The surgical strategy for each patient must be tailored individually according to specific cardiovascular status and limited hepatic reserve.

Objective:To investigate the clinical application of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in infants with acute kidney injury (AKI) after liver transplantation.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on infants with AKI after liver transplantation in Tianjin First Center Hospital from January 1, 2019 to June 1, 2021. Infants with AKI within 1 year after liver transplantation were divided into CRRT group and non-CRRT group according to whether CRRT was performed. The preoperative and intraoperative condition, the postoperative complications were compared, the risk factors of CRRT for AKI infants, the clinical characteristics of CRRT were analyzed, and the prognosis between CRRT group and non-CRRT group were compared.Results:① A total of 512 cases of pediatric liver transplantation were performed. A total of 189 cases (36.9%) developed AKI within 1 year after surgery, including 18 cases in CRRT group and 171 cases in non-CRRT group. ② There was no significant difference in preoperative conditions between the two groups. The duration of liver transplantation (hours: 8.8±1.5 vs. 7.5±1.3) and intraoperative blood loss [mL: 370 (220-800) vs. 310 (200-400)] in CRRT group were significantly higher than those in non-CRRT group. CRRT group had significantly higher incidence of postoperative complication [unplanned operation: 8 cases (44.4%) vs. 14 cases (8.2%), primary nonfunction: 1 case (5.6%) vs. 0 case (0%), retransplantation: 3 cases (16.7%) vs. 0 case (0%), hepatic artery thrombosis: 3 cases (16.7%) vs. 4 cases (2.3%), intestinal fistula: 2 cases (11.1%) vs. 2 cases (1.2%)] than non-CRRT group (all P < 0.05). ③ The average start time of CRRT was 10 (1-240) days. The per capita frequency of CRRT treatment was 3.3 (1.0-14.0) times. The average duration of each CRRT treatment was 10.1 (6.0-19.3) hours, the average reduction rate of serum creatinine (SCr) was 25.6% (13.5%-45.0%) after CRRT. ④ In CRRT group, 5 patients died, the 1-year and 2-year survival rates were both 72.22%. In non-CRRT group, 6 patients died, the 1-year and 2-year survival rates were 97.1% and 96.5%, respectively. There were significant differences in 1-year and 2-year survival rates between the two groups (both P < 0.01). Conclusions:The incidence of AKI after pediatric liver transplantation was high, and most infants treated with CRRT were associated with serious surgical complications. CRRT was a powerful means to remove inflammatory factors and maintain the stability of circulation and internal environment, which could improve the multi-organ dysfunction effectively.

Hyperammonemia syndrome (HS) is a comparatively rare but often fatal clinical syndrome characterized by progressive respiratory alkalosis and abrupt mental status alteration associated with markedly elevated plasma ammonium levels. Although the exact mechanism of HS remains unclear, infection with urease producing microbes is proposed as the main etiology of HS recently. A patient with HS after repeated autologous skin transplantation was admitted to Tianjin First Center Hospital in March 2018, presented with fever, coma and epilepsy. The infection of Mycoplasma hominis was confirmed in blood sample by high throughput gene detection. The patient was survived after multimodal management including antimicrobial treatment, aggressive ammonia removal by continuous renal replacement therapy in combination with lactulose, and mechanical ventilation. She was successfully discharged from intensive care unit (ICU) with clear consciousness, normal temperature and smooth breath. In view of the experience of the case treatment, a review of literature was conducted to discuss the epidemiology and clinical characteristics, possible etiologies and mechanisms, and outcomes with emphasis on treatment strategies of HS and to promote more clinicians to recognize this rare disease.
Female ; Humans ; Hyperammonemia/therapy* ; Intensive Care Units ; Review Literature as Topic ; Skin Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To explore the application of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS)in children after liver transplantation.Methods:The clinical data were retrospectively analyzed for two ECMO-supported children with severe ARDS after liver transplantation. There were suspected pneumocystis carinii pneumonia(n=1)and identified pneumocystis carinii pneumonia(n=1).Results:Veno-arterial ECMO(VA-ECMO)was performed and oxygen saturation index(OSI)before an initiation of ECMO was 31.8 and 23.9 respectively. Both were successfully separated from ECMO after 219 h and 168 h support respectively, and both were weaned from ventilator after 342 h and 232 h invasive mechanical ventilation respectively. The length of ICU stay was 31 and 18 days and the length of hospital stay 57 and 33 days respectively. During ECMO support, liver function remained stable and there was no new onset of organ dysfunction or life-threatening complications.Conclusions:ECMO is a potential therapy for children with severe ADRS after liver transplantation and the assessment and management of complications with ECMO support should be further studied.

Objective To evaluate the clinical effect and safety of regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) in continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) for acute kidney injury (AKI) after hepatectomy.Methods A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of all patients with AKI after hepatectomy for CRRT admitted to surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 19th, 2013 to January 19th, 2018 was performed. According to the different anticoagulants, the patients were divided into no anticoagulant group (NA group), low molecular heparin anticoagulation (LMHA) group and RCA group. The general data of patients during the perioperative period; renal function, the internal environment, electrolyte and blood coagulation function before and after CRRT; the filter time, the number of filters and adverse events (bleeding, frequent filter blood coagulation, metabolic alkalosis, metabolic acidosis, hypocalcemia, citrate accumulation, etc.) during CRRT were collected. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to analyze the life span of the first filter during different anticoagulation. Results A total of 67 cases were included in this study, including 11 in the NA group, 25 in the LMHA group and 31 in the RCA group. There was no significant difference in gender, age, underlying disease, etiology (tumor), Child-Pugh stage (A or B), CT angiography (CTA), basic renal function [serum creatinine (SCr), cystatin C (Cys C)], the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) stage; surgical approach; intraoperative bleeding volume, blood transfusion, blood pressure, time of duration of low blood pressure; and postoperative circulatory failure, hepatic insufficiency and sepsis among three groups. However, the length of ICU stay in RCA group was significantly less than the LMHA group and NA group (days: 8.16±2.24 vs. 10.48±5.11, 13.29±6.64, bothP< 0.05). Compared with before CRRT, the levels of SCr, Cys C and Lac were significantly decreased in RCA group and LMHA group after CRRT [SCr (μmol/L): 89.02±21.90 vs. 248.30±55.32, 105.10±49.00 vs. 270.10±156.00; Cys C (mg/L): 2.18±0.95 vs. 2.94±1.26, 2.26±0.76 vs. 3.07± 0.90; Lac (mmol/L): 2.21±1.46 vs. 3.62±1.73, 2.37±1.24 vs. 4.03±1.69, allP < 0.05]; in addition, LMHA group and NA group had significant effects on hemoglobin (Hb), platelet count (PLT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) after CRRT [Hb (g/L): 85.4±5.1 vs. 99.6±23.6, 80.0±7.6 vs. 101.4±7.8; PLT (×109/L): 27.60±8.22 vs. 62.04±16.49, 21.36±3.91 vs. 61.45±17.69; APTT (s): 63.07±10.25 vs. 41.52±3.65, 49.56±5.77 vs. 41.09± 3.45, allP < 0.05]; at the same time, Cys C level and prothrombin time (PT) in the NA group after CRRT treatment were significantly increased compared with the others [Cys C (mg/L): 3.59±0.64 vs. 2.29±0.51, PT (s): 26.41±2.43 vs. 23.64±1.92 , bothP < 0.05]. Finally, the time of filters (hours: 60.52±8.82, 31.04±7.03, 13.73±6.26,F = 183.412, P < 0.001) and the number of filter during treatment (number: 2.03±0.60, 3.12±0.73, 4.64±1.29,F = 45.933,P <0.001) in the RCA group, LMHA group and NA group had statistically significant difference. Meanwhile, the incidence of adverse events such as bleeding (0 vs. 4, 7,χ2 = 23.961,P < 0.001) and frequent filter coagulation (1 vs. 10, 11,χ2 =35.413,P < 0.001) in RCA group was significantly lower than that in LMHA group and NA group. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the life time of the first filter in RCA group was significantly longer than that in LMHA group and NA group (χ2 = 139.45,P < 0.05).Conclusion The application of RCA in patients with AKI after hepatectomy during CRRT is safe and effective, which can significantly prolong the life of the filter and reduce the risk of bleeding.