Critical Care for Potential Liver Transplant Candidates

Cardiac Evaluation and Management.- Management of Hyponatremia in End-Stage Liver Disease.- Hemodynamic changes and modulation in in patients with acute and chronic liver failure.- Pulmonary Evaluation of Liver Transplant Candidates.- Sepsis, septic shock in cirrhotic patients.- The Hemostatic System in Patients with Cirrhosis, Monitoring of coagulation and Management of Bleeding.- Management of thrombosis in liver transplant candidate.- Acute kidney injury and hepatorenal syndrome.- Critical Care for Potential Liver Transplant Candidates: Ventilation.- Management upper GI bleeding in cirrhotic patients.- Acute-on-chronic-liver failure.- Critical care of the acute liver failure patient.- Liver assist systems for bridging to transplantation: Devices and concepts.

This book focuses on patients with end-stage-liver disease (ESLD) who could possibly qualify for liver transplant. This patient cohort raises many problems: who should be treated and also, when is it too late for transplant? The authors are all dedicated experts in the field of ESLD/liver transplantation, but from different disciplines with different views of the problem.

In the past 15 years many things have changed in the treatment for these patients: cardiac assessment, treatment of porto-pulmonary hypertension, hemodynamics, coagulation assessment and management, diagnosis of kidney failure, and the timing of dialysis. These issues are comprehensively discussed in this book, in order to provide physicians starting in the field of transplantation an overview of different areas of concern.

This book is aimed at specialists and trainees in critical care, hepatology, anesthesia, surgery, and nephrology.

Dr. Bezinover was originally trained in Berlin-Charite for Anesthesiology. After completing his training, he achieved board certification for Anesthesiology in Germany. In 2006, he joined the anesthesiology team at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center, PA, USA. He has been a leader in liver transplantation anesthesia for many years and currently serves as the Director for Liver Transplant Anesthesia at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

Dr. Saner was originally trained in Wiesbaden, Germany. In 1994, he completed his training and became board certified in Anesthesiology. After his training he moved to the University of Dusseldorf and then to Essen, where he became specialized in liver transplantation. Since January 2000 he has been the head of the surgical liver critical care at the University Duisburg-Essen.