Effects of an active lifestyle on the physical frailty of liver transplant candidates

BACKGROUND Liver transplantation is the most important therapeutic intervention for end-stage liver disease(ELD).The prioritization of these patients is based on the model for end-stage liver disease(MELD),which can successfully predict short-term mortality.However,despite its great validity and value,it cannot fully incorporate several comorbidities of liver disease,such as sarcopenia and physical frailty,variables that can sufficiently influence the survival of such patients.Subsequently,there is growing interest in the importance of physical frailty in regard to mortality in liver transplant candidates and recipients,as well as its role in improving their survival rates.AIM To evaluate the effects of an active lifestyle on physical frailty on liver transplant candidates.METHODS An observational study was performed within the facilities of the Department of Transplant Surgery of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.Twenty liver transplant candidate patients from the waiting list of the department were included in the study.Patients that were bedridden,had recent cardiovascular incidents,or had required inpatient treatment for more than 5 d in the last 6 mo were excluded from the study.The following variables were evaluated:Activity level via the International Physical Activity Questionnaire(IPAQ);functional capacity via the 6-min walking test(6MWT)and cardiopulmonary exercise testing;and physical frailty via the Liver Frailty Index(LFI).RESULTS According to their responses in the IPAQ,patients were divided into the following two groups based on their activity level:Active group(A,10 patients);and sedentary group(S,10 patients).Comparing mean values of the recorded variables showed the following results:MELD(A:12.05±5.63 vs S:13.99±3.60;P>0.05);peak oxygen uptake(A:29.78±6.07 mL/kg/min vs S:18.11±3.39 mL/kg/min;P<0.001);anaerobic threshold(A:16.71±2.17 mL/kg/min vs S:13.96±1.45 mL/kg/min;P<0.01);6MWT(A:458.2±57.5 m vs S:324.7±55.8 m;P<0.001);and LFI(A:3.75±0.31 vs S:4.42±0.32;P<0.001).CONCLUSION An active lifestyle can be associated with better musculoskeletal and functional capacity,while simultaneously preventing the evolution of physical frailty in liver transplant candidates.This effect appears to be independent of the liver disease severity.

Enhanced recovery after surgery in liver transplantation:Challenges and feasibility

BACKGROUND Enhanced recovery after surgery(ERAS)started a revolution that changed age-old surgical stereotypical practices regarding the overall management of the surgical patient.In the last decade,ERAS has gained significant acceptance in the community of general surgery,in addition to several other surgical specialties,as the evidence of its advantages continues to grow.One of the last remaining fields,given its significant complexity and intricate nature,is liver transplantation(LT).AIM To investigate the existing efforts at implementing ERAS in LT.METHODS We conducted a systematic review of the existing studies that evaluate ERAS in orthotopic LT,with a multimodal approach and focusing on measurable clinical primary endpoints,namely length of hospital stay.RESULTS All studies demonstrated a considerable decrease in length of hospital stay,with no readmission or negative impact of the ERAS protocol applied to the postoperative course.CONCLUSIONS ERAS is a well-validated multimodal approach for almost all types of surgical procedures,and its future in selected LT patients seems promising,as the preliminary results advocate for the safety and efficacy of ERAS in the field of LT.