Relationship between respiratory muscle strength and vital capacity in mortality on waiting list and the postoperative liver transplantation

Abstract

Introduction: Liver transplantation is the only effective treatment for chronic liver terminals diseases. The number of patients on the wai- ting list has increased, and they became severely ill in this waiting period for the new liver. Purpose: To analyze the relationship between respiratory muscle strength and vital capacity (VC) with mortality on the waiting list and in the postoperative period of liver transplantation. Methods: A cross-sectional and retrospective study, performed between January/2008 and November/2011. The study was divided into two phases, the first assessment of muscle strength and VC and the second collection of records for analysis of trends. The study included 111 patients divided into four groups, 35 transplant patients formed group IA: 29 patients who survived and group IB: 6 patients died and 76 patients who remained on the waiting list divided into group IIA: 54 did not die and IIB: 22 died. Results: The strength of the inspiratory and expiratory muscles were on average around 30% to 40% below predicted values in all groups, but the CV values were close to normal. The comparative analysis between the groups IAxIB, IIAxIIB showed no statistically significant difference when using the absolute values of inspiratory, expiratory and CV, but there was difference in both analyzes for the corrected CV as a percentage of predicted. Conclusion: The respiratory muscle strength is reduced in patients on waiting list and undergoing transplantation. Small changes in the values of CV were related mortality in both list as postoperative liver transplantation.