Annals of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism

Review

Perioperative nutritional management to improve long-term outcomes in critically ill perioperative organ transplant patients: a narrative review: Toshimi Kaido; Ann Clin Nutr Metab 2025;17(1):18-24. Published online April 1, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.15747/ACNM.25.0005

Abstract PDF ePub: Purpose
This review examines the significance of perioperative nutritional management in organ transplantation, with a particular focus on liver transplantation. Organ transplant recipients often experience malnutrition and sarcopenia due to nutritional and metabolic abnormalities associated with organ dysfunction. Because transplantation is a highly invasive procedure, optimizing perioperative nutritional care is critical for improving short-term outcomes and reducing postoperative infection-related mortality. Current concept: Recent clinical investigations have shown that liver transplant recipients, who are frequently afflicted with end-stage liver disease and uncompensated cirrhosis, are particularly vulnerable to protein-energy malnutrition and secondary sarcopenia. Our analysis identified low pre-transplant nutritional status and the absence of preoperative branched-chain amino acid supplementation as independent risk factors for post-transplant sepsis. In response, we developed a customized nutritional therapy protocol that incorporates precise body composition analysis, serial measurements of biochemical markers (including prealbumin, zinc, and the branched-chain amino acid/tyrosine ratio), and targeted supplementation with branched-chain amino acids, zinc acetate, and synbiotics. Early initiation of enteral nutrition coupled with postoperative rehabilitative interventions resulted in improved outcomes. In addition, stratified body composition parameters correlated with survival differences and informed revised transplantation criteria.
Conclusion
Tailored perioperative nutritional management and rehabilitative strategies are essential for improving early postoperative outcomes in liver transplantation. These findings underscore the need for proactive nutritional assessment and intervention, which may represent a breakthrough in transplant prognosis. Future research should refine nutritional protocols and integrate novel biomarkers, while education and interdisciplinary collaboration remain crucial for enhancing transplant outcomes and reducing complications.

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Original Article

Nutritional Support Team Approach Decreases the In-Hospital Mortality Rate after Deceased Donor Liver Transplantation: Sang-Oh Yun, Jong Man Kim, Sangjin Kim, Jinsoo Rhu, Hyun Jung Kim, Soo Hyun Park, Hyo Jung Park, Eunmi Gil, Wonseok Kang, Gyu-Seong Choi, Won Hyuck Chang, Jeong-Meen Seo, Jae-Won Joh; Surg Metab Nutr 2020;11(1):7-11. Published online June 30, 2020; DOI: https://doi.org/10.18858/smn.2020.11.1.7

Abstract PDF ePub: Purpose: This study compared the mortality rates between a period of time without employing a nutritional support team (NST) and a period of time with an NST.
Materials and Methods: Forty-six patients underwent adult deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) in 2016, and their medical records were prospectively collected. All the donor recipients underwent routine enteral feeding after liver transplantation. An NST cared for twenty-one patients after September 2016. The NST consisted of transplant surgeons, hepatologists, a critical care team, a rehabilitation team, dietitians, pharmacists, and nurses. We defined the patients within the time period without an NST as the control group and those patients within the time period with an NST as the case group.
Results: There were no statistically significant differences in baseline or perioperative characteristics between the two groups. The median model for the end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was 36 (range: 21∼40) for the control group and 36 (range: 23∼40) for the case group (P=0.596). The 30-day mortality rate was 24.0% (6/25) for the control group, but it was 4.8% (1/20) for the case group. The patient survival rates at 1-year and 2-year were 68.0% and 64.0% in the control group and 85.7% and 81.0% in the case group, respectively. However, there were no statistically significant differences of the 30-day mortality rate and 1∼2 year patient survival rate between the two groups.
Conclusion: The present study suggests that an NST should be required to prevent 30-day mortality and increase patient survival of adult DDLT patients with a high MELD score.

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