Abstract

Aim:  To analyze the outcomes, most frequent complications, and characteristics of the patients enrolled in the Liver Transplant Program from the Hospital “Dr. Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia”.

Methods:  This is a retrospective investigation that involves the revision of clinical records from the patients that received a liver transplant between the years 2009 and 2018 in the Hospital “Dr. Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia”. The following variables were considered: age, gender, nationality, city of residence, manifestations of the liver disease, reason for the liver transplant, clinical outcomes after transplant, comorbidities, medication received, important laboratory results, and biopsies. The data analysis was performed with STATA, using a statistical significance threshold of a p < 0.05.

Results:  The sample was composed of a total of 45 liver transplant surgeries and 44 patients who received a liver transplant between the years 2009 and 2018. The patients mostly came from the city of San José. The average age at the time of the surgery was 51 years. The most common liver disease that led to transplant was alcoholic cirrhosis, followed by NASH and cryptogenic cirrhosis. The most common complications of the liver disease documented before transplant were esophageal varicose veins, gastrointestinal bleeding, and hepatic-renal syndrome. 10 of the patients included in the study died, which corresponds to 22.7% of the sample.

Conclusión:  The mortality observed in the liver transplant cases analyzed was 22.7%, most of the cases were taken to transplantation due to liver disease related to alcoholic cirrhosis, steatohepatitis, and cryptogenic cirrhosis.

Keywords: transplant; liver transplant; solid organ transplant; immunosuppression; liver.