Increased Risk of Short-Term Infection After Liver Transplantation Combined With Splenectomy: Clinical Retrospective Study

Aim. The safety of liver transplantation and simultaneous splenectomy (LTSP) is still controversial. This study aimed to compare postoperative outcomes and infection in liver transplant recipients with and without simultaneous splenectomy. Methods. Clinical data of patients who underwent liver transplantation (LT) from May 2015 to March 2023 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. The main parameters measured were culture results, infection incidence, pathogens, postoperative complications, and overall survival rates. Results. Of 149 patients, 35 who underwent LTSP were assigned to the LTSP group, and the remaining 114 were assigned to the LT group. The postoperative infection incidence in the LTSP group was significantly higher than in the LT group within 1 month after transplantation. The two groups had no significant differences in pathogens details and overall survival rate. SP, postoperative days (POD) 3 Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), POD 7 NLR, and POD 7 Hemoglobin (HGB) were independent risk factors for postoperative infection in multivariate analysis. Conclusion. LTSP increases the risk of short-term postoperative infections, and postoperative NLR can be used as a marker of infection.