A total of 100 patients who underwent elective lobar donor
hepatectomy from 2000 to 2002 at the University of Rochester Medical Center were reviewed. Assessed clinical data were estimated blood loss, intraoperative central venous pressure (CVP), blood product and fluid administration, perioperative arterial blood gas tension and acid-base state, metabolic status, perioperative serum levels of
aspartate aminotransferase,
alanine aminotransferase, prothrombin time, albumin, and
lactate, procedure duration, and perioperative complications. All patients survived surgery, and the average duration of surgery (from skin incision to skin closure) was 615 +/- 99.6 minutes. Mean blood loss was 549 +/- 391 mL (range, 80-2,500 mL), and only 4 patients required homologous
blood transfusion. The intraoperative blood loss did not correlate with CVP values. A total of 72 patients received isotonic
sodium bicarbonate solution, and their metabolic variables were superior to those of normal saline group patients (arterial pH, 7.35 +/- 0.03 vs. 7.29 +/- 0.07; base excess, -4.3 +/- 2.4 vs. 7.3 +/- 3.4; and serum bicarbonate level, 20.6 +/- 2.2 vs. 18.6 +/- 2.9). However, the better control of
metabolic acidosis was not associated with serum
lactate levels or other outcome measures. Maintaining the CVP < 5 mmHg was not associated with blood loss. Clinically significant anesthetic complications were severe
metabolic acidosis,
pneumothorax and
respiratory insufficiency immediately following extubation in the operating room. In conclusion, placement of a thoracic epidural
catheter delivering a local anesthetic in addition to intravenous (IV)
patient-controlled analgesia with opiates provided safe and effective
pain control in most patients. Further prospective studies should shed a light on the optimal care of patients undergoing liver donor hepatic resection.