Regional citrate anticoagulation for continuous renal replacement therapy in the perioperative care of liver transplant recipients: a single center experience.

Kidney injury with concomitant hemodialysis is a common finding in perioperative care of liver transplant patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate disturbances in acid-base status, electrolyte balance and citrate accumulation during hemodialysis with regional citrate anticoagulation in perioperative care of liver transplant recipients. A retrospective, single center evaluation was conducted of patients with severe liver dysfunction receiving renal replacement therapy in the perioperative care of liver transplantation in a multidisciplinary ICU of a university hospital. Within 5 days of ICU stay, 89 patients undergoing liver transplantation received regional citrate anticoagulation for hemodialysis. During the study period pH (7.39 [7.33/7.43] vs. 7.44 [7.39/7.47], P-value = 0.014), base excess values (-0.9 [-5.08/2.35] vs. 4.3 [1.93/8.21], P-value = 0.001) and standard bicarbonate (23.6 [20/26.9] vs. 28.2 [26.2/32.2], P-value = 0.001) significantly increased, whereas lactate levels (2.6 [1.60/4.45] vs. 1.25 [0.98/1.9], P-value = 0.071) and Catot /Caion -ratio decreased or remained below the upper reference. Hypocalcemia appeared mostly within 48 h after dialysis initiation. Although sodium levels increased during the observation, rates of hypernatremia were comparable between hemodialysis days 1 and 5. Hemodialysis using regional citrate anticoagulation remains a challenge in the perioperative care of liver transplant recipients. Major attention must be paid to acid-base disturbances and citrate accumulation within 48 h after dialysis initiation. Nevertheless, regional citrate anticoagulation in liver dysfunction is a feasible and valuable tool, when limitations and pitfalls are adequately considered.