Prevalence, Risk Factors and Clinical Outcomes of Acute Kidney Injury after Paediatric Liver Transplantation

Background: Knowledge about acute kidney injury (AKI) in paediatric patients after liver transplantation is limited. This study focused on the prevalence and contributing factors of AKI and its impact on the postoperative outcomes of paediatric recipients. Methods: The data of 211 paediatric patients (<12 years old) who, from December 2018 to November 2020, received first-time liver transplantation for end-stage liver disease or advanced hepatic failure in our hospital were processed for retrospective analysis. According to the criteria of the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes, all patients were dichotomised into AKI and non-AKI groups. The preoperative characteristics of the patients, laboratory test results, donor type and intraoperative parameters between the two groups were compared. The effects of AKI on the postoperative outcomes of paediatric recipients were analysed. The risk factors for AKI after liver transplantation were analysed by multivariate logistic regression. Results: The incidence of AKI within the first seven days after paediatric liver transplantation was 34.1%. AKI at stages I, II and III accounted for 69.4%, 22.2% and 8.3%, respectively. Compared with non-AKI patients, AKI patients had a higher proportion of hepatic cirrhosis (p = 0.039) and ascites (p = 0.003); Worse hepatic function (prolonged prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, decreased level of serum albumin and increased international normalised ratio and total bilirubin level); Higher paediatric end-stage liver disease (PELD) score (p = 0.008); And larger amount of intraoperative blood loss (p < 0.001), fluid positive balance (p = 0.035), red blood cells (RBCs) (p < 0.001) and fresh frozen plasma transfusion (p < 0.001). The multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that ascites (odds ratio (OR): 2.273, p = 0.040), PELD (OR: 1.027, p = 0.013) and RBCs transfusion (OR: 1.033, p < 0.001) were independent contributing factors to AKI in paediatric patients who received liver transplantation. AKI contributed to prolonged hospital stays but did not increase hospital mortality. Conclusions: The onset of AKI can markedly prolong the hospital stay, and is common in paediatric patients undergoing liver transplantation. Poor hepatic function and large RBC transfusion contribute to AKI after liver transplantation.