Liver transplantation is the most efficacious treatment for end-stage liver disease; however, postoperative infection remains a major complication and leading cause of recipient mortality. Specifically, infections originating from donors, particularly those caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria, can significantly impact the prognosis of liver transplant recipients. Theoretically, implementing targeted antimicrobial therapy for donors prior to organ donation could reduce the likelihood of pathogen transmission with the transplanted organ, thereby potentially decreasing the incidence of post-transplant infections from donor sources and improving recipient outcomes. Nevertheless, there is currently a dearth of high-quality prospective studies in this domain. Our previous investigation (Front Microbiol. 2022 Jul 1;13:919363) demonstrated that second-generation metagenomic sequencing (mNGS) technology holds substantial value in expeditious pathogen screening following liver transplantation. Prompt implementation of targeted treatment based on microbiological findings has shown potential to enhance outcomes for select recipients. Therefore, this study aims to provide tailored treatment for donors based on microbiological examination results (including mNGS detection and culture results), analyze corresponding data regarding recipient infection occurrence and prognosis, and explore the impact of mNGS-guided donor antimicrobial therapy on perioperative infection rates among liver transplant recipients.
Recipient age >18 years;
Clinical diagnosis of infection in the donor with administered anti-infective treatment;
Complete clinical data for both the donor and recipient.
Recipient age <18 years;
Presence of surgery-related factors leading to death or infection, such as intraoperative cardiac arrest resulting in postoperative death, intraoperative bleeding exceeding 2000ml, postoperative complications like intestinal or bile leakage, graft dysfunction, or small liver syndrome;
Incomplete clinical data for the donor or recipient