POSTOPERATIVE INFECTIONS IN LIVING RELATED LIVER TRANSPLANTATION

Abstract

Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is becoming a widespread technique for patients with acute and chronic end stage liver diseases with good results making liver transplantation a widely accepted treatment modality. Its use may sharply decrease waiting list mortality (Loinaz et al., 2003).

With few exceptions, all patients who undergo transplantation are committed to life-long immunosuppressive therapy to prevent 61faft rejection. Inadequate immunosuppression can result in graft loss where as injudicious use of immunosuppression can result in life threatening infection (Pomposelli & Jenkins 2000). Despite of better understanding of immune response and proliferation of more selective immunosuppressive agents, infections due to a variety of organisms continue to be major causes of morbidity and mortality in liver transplant population (Hadley et al., 1995). Approximately two-thirds of the transplant patients will experience at least one episode of serious infection. Furthermore, infection accow1ts for more than one half of observed mortality associated with liver transplantation (Kibbler, 1995).