Inhalation anesthesia and hepatoprotection in patients undergoing right hepatectomy for living donor liver transplantation

Abstract

Objective: To verify if inhalation anesthesia administered duringright lobe hepatectomy for living donor transplantation, asperformed at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, could attenuatepostoperative liver dysfunction in these patients. Methods: Weretrospectively reviewed perioperative data of 56 patients whounderwent right lobe hepatectomy for living donortransplantation. Patients were separated into two groups: onegroup received inhalation anesthesia, and another received totalintravenous anesthesia. Results: Standard liver function tests:prothrombin time, platelet count, ALT/AST were not statisticallydifferent in patients who received inhalation anesthesia comparedto total intravenous anesthesia in the early postoperative period.Conclusion: Hepatoprotective properties of inhalation anesthesiacould not be demonstrated in this retrospective study whencompared to intravenous anesthesia in patients submitted to rightlobe hepatectomy. Increased safety of this procedure for the donoris mandatory. Therefore, strategies resulting in preservation ofliver function, like preconditioning, deserve further studies.

Keywords

• Inhalation anesthesia
• Intravenous anesthesia
• Liver transplantation