Postoperative Course of Serum Albumin Levels and Organ Dysfunction After Liver Transplantation

Background and aims: Postoperative hypoalbuminemia, especially following liver transplantation, can lead to adverse multisystem effects and even death. We investigated the relationship between postoperative albumin levels and organ failure (assessed using Sequential Organ Failure Assessment [SOFA] scores). Methods: Sixty liver transplant recipients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) from 2012 to 2015 were retrospectively divided into 2 groups: lower albumin (LA) (n=28) and higher albumin (HA) (n=32), using whether serum albumin level fell below 3.0 g/dL during the first postoperative week as the stratifying factor. The SOFA scores (primary endpoint) and associated complications (ascites amount, rejection, re-intubation, abdominal re-operation, thrombosis), additional treatment (dialysis, pleural effusion drainage), and duration of ICU stay (secondary endpoints) of the 2 groups were compared. Results: Average serum albumin levels were significantly different between HA and LA groups (3.6 [3.4-3.8] vs 3.1 [2.9-3.3], respectively, P Conclusions: Serum albumin level might not influence cumulative organ function, but it decreases the amount of hemodynamic support required in liver transplant recipients