Comparison of the Incidence of Postreperfusion Syndrome During Liver Transplantation Between Radial and Femoral Artery

Background: Postreperfusion syndrome (PRS) is a serious complication that can occur during liver transplantation (LT) and is known to affect morbidity and mortality after surgery. However, PRS definition does not include which artery is used to measure blood pressure. Until now, various studies have reported on the incidence, prognosis, and prevention strategies of PRS, but the arterial pressure used in these studies shows heterogeneity. Moreover, femoral arterial pressure and radial arterial pressure show a significant difference especially immediately after reperfusion. To the best of our knowledge there was no study about the comparison of the incidence of PRS according to artery. Therefore, in this study, we would like to investigate if there is a difference in the incidence of PRS between the radial and femoral artery. Methods: With approval of IRB, we retrospectively reviewed medical records of adult LT patients from April 2017 to April 2019. We reviewed each patient's anesthesia record and confirmed if PRS has occurred. Results: A total of 251 patients were enrolled. The PRS was measured in radial artery from 84 patients (33.5%) and femoral artery from 71 patients (28.3%). McNemar's test was performed and there was a significant difference (P value .007). Conclusions: This study confirmed that radial artery had higher incidence of PRS than femoral artery. However, it was not confirmed if PRS measurement at any artery is appropriate for predicting morbidity and mortality after surgery. Therefore, in the future, it is better to conduct research based on arteries that predict the prognosis better.