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Publication Information

PubMed ID
Public Release Type
Journal
Publication Year
2011
Affiliation
Department of Surgery, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA. james.trotter@baylorhealth.edu
Authors
Abecassis MM, Adult-to-Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Cohort Study Group, Akagi M, Al-Saden P, Ashworth A, Berg CL, Brithinee A, Brown RS Jr, Busuttil RW, Conboy B, Davis J, Emond JC, Everhart JE, Everson GT, Fisher RA, Freise CE, Garcia C, Gillespie BW, Hayashi PH, Heese S, Hill-Callahan M, Holloway L, Hong JC, Hoofnagle JH, Howell T, Kam I, Krajec A, Kulik LM, Lassiter A, Lok AS, Lowe M, MacLeod D, Merion RM, Mooney J, Ojo AO, Olthoff KM, Robuck PR, Russell T, Seeff LB, Shaked A, Shaw M, Smith A, Stravitz RT, Terrault NA, Trotter JF, Zaretsky JS
Studies
Citation
Trotter JF, Gillespie BW, Terrault NA, Abecassis MM, Merion RM, Brown RS Jr, Olthoff KM, Hayashi PH, Berg CL, Fisher RA, Everhart JE, Adult-to-Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Cohort Study Group. Laboratory test results after living liver donation in the adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation cohort study. Liver Transpl 2011 Apr;17(4):409-17.

Abstract

Information on the long-term health of living liver donors is incomplete. Because changes in standard laboratory tests may reflect the underlying health of donors, results before and after donation were examined in the Adult-to-Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Cohort Study (A2ALL). A2ALL followed 487 living liver donors who donated at 9 US transplant centers between 1998 and 2009. The aminotransferase [aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)] and alkaline phosphatase (AP) activities, bilirubin, international normalized ratio (INR), albumin, white blood cell count (WBC), hemoglobin (HGB), platelet count, ferritin, serum creatinine (SCR), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were measured at the evaluation and after donation (1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 1 year, and yearly thereafter). Repeated measures models were used to estimate median laboratory values at each time point and to test for differences between values at the evaluation (baseline) and postdonation time points. Platelet counts were significantly decreased at every time point in comparison with the baseline, and at 3 years, they were 19% lower. Approximately 10% of donors had a platelet count < 150 × 1000/mm(3) 2 to 3 years post-donation. Donors with a platelet count ≤ 150 × 1000/mm(3) at 1 year had significantly lower mean platelet counts (189 ± 32 × 1000/mm(3) ) versus the remainder of the cohort (267 ± 56 × 1000/mm(3) , P < 0.0001) at the evaluation. Statistically significant differences compared to the evaluation values were noted for AST, AP, INR, and albumin through the first year, although most measurements were in the normal range. The median values for WBC, HGB, ferritin, albumin, SCR, BUN, and INR were not substantially outside the normal range at any time point. In conclusion, after 3 months, most laboratory values return to normal among right hepatic lobe liver donors, with a slower return to baseline levels for AST, AP, INR, and albumin. Persistently decreased platelet counts warrant further investigation.