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The major causes of liver graft failure are acute rejection, technical failure, and primary nonfunction (PNF). This study was undertaken to determine whether delayed return of neuromuscular function correlates with allograft primary dysfunction in humans given vecuronium. Twenty-two adult patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation were given an initial dose of vecuronium, 0.1 mg/kg intravenously (i.v.). All patients recovered from vecuronium-induced neuromuscular block prior to explantation. No additional neuromuscular blocker was given until the liver graft was implanted and reperfused. Fifteen minutes after reperfusion another 0.1 mg/kg vecuronium was given IV and recovery time from attaining complete neuromuscular block to return of the fourth twitch of a train-of-four was recorded. Patients were divided into three groups according to postoperative liver function. Group I consisted of 17 patients with immediate normal liver graft function. Group II consisted of four patients with primary dysfunction (PDF) [peak aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) > 2000 U/L, prothrombin time > 16 s, and poor quality and quantity of bile within 3 days postoperatively] which eventually recovered normal function. Group III consisted of one patient with PNF (uncorrectable coagulopathy, severe metabolic acidosis, rising AST and ALT, and minimal or no bile output), whose graft never recovered. Recovery time in Groups II and III was prolonged compared to Group I (P < 0.05). Recovery time in Group III was prolonged compared to Group II (P < 0.05). A test based on these results using a recovery time of > 135 min as a predictor of PDF has a sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 76%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation frequently receive dopamine infusions to preserve renal function. To test the benefit of such infusions on renal function, 48 nonanuric patients presenting for OLT were entered into a randomized double-blind protocol. After exclusion of 1 patient for intraoperative nephrectomy, 22 patients received dopamine at a rate of 3 micrograms.kg-1.min-1 during surgery and the first postoperative 48 h, and a control group of 25 patients received saline. Venovenous bypass was used in 45 of 47 patients. During the hepatic vascular anastomoses, the donor liver was flushed with cold saline. In 7 patients, the flush contained mannitol (50 g) as part of a surgical protocol to investigate its role as a potential free radical scavenger. Initially, it appeared that there was an increase in urine output during the neohepatic phase in those patients receiving dopamine versus controls (4.20 +/- 3.3 vs 2.10 +/- 1.3 ml.kg-1.h-1, respectively). Upon further statistical analysis, this increase was associated with inclusion of mannitol in the liver flush of 5 patients in the dopamine group. After excluding all patients receiving flush containing mannitol, there was no significant difference in urine output during the neohepatic phase between the dopamine group and controls (2.94 +/- 0.45 and 2.10 +/- 0.28 ml.kg-1.h-1, respectively). The glomerular filtration rates at 1 month after surgery were similar and decreased approximately 40% in each group. Although a beneficial effect of dopamine in all situations cannot be ruled out the authors conclude that routine perioperative use of dopamine is of little value in nonanuric patients presenting for orthotopic liver transplantation.