Living Donor Liver Transplantation for Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a syndrome characterized by acute decompensation of previously diagnosed or undiagnosed liver disease with organ failure(s) with high short-term mortality. This study was conducted to report the outcomes of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in ACLF and assess the survival benefit of liver transplantation (LT) in these patients. It was a retrospective study of 218 ACLF patients on the basis of European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL)-chronic liver failure criteria from January 2014 through November 2017. Patients were considered for LDLT if there was no improvement on standard medical therapy for 5-10 days. Prior to LDLT, active sepsis was excluded/treated, and renal, circulatory, and respiratory failures were improved to the greatest extent possible. The mean age was 42.9 years, and 181 patients were male. Sepsis was the most common acute precipitating event followed by alcohol. Of the patients, 35 (16.1%), 66 (30.3%), and 117 (53.7%) were classified into ACLF grades 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Although 80% of the ACLF 1 group and 72.7% of the ACLF 2 group underwent LDLT, only 35% of the ACLF 3 group could undergo LDLT. The circulatory and respiratory failures at admission were significantly higher in the nontransplant group with poor subsequent response to standard medical therapy, exclusion from LDLT, and poor outcomes. None of the patients on high support for circulatory and respiratory failure underwent LDLT. Posttransplant survival at 1 year was comparable among different grades of ACLF (92.9%, 85.4%, and 75.6%; P = 0.15). Among patients in the ACLF 3 group, survival at 90 days was extremely poor in those who could not undergo LDLT (5.9% versus 78%; P < 0.001). In conclusion, LDLT results in good survival with acceptable post-LT morbidity in patients with ACLF.