Objective: To determine the clinical variables associated with the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in the postoperative period of liver transplantation. Design: Prospective, observational, analytical cohort study. Frame of reference: The study was developed at the Fundación Cardioinfantil (FCI), a fourth level hospital. Patients: Patients older than 18 years, liver transplant recipients. Main measurements: Pre-surgical, post-surgical variables and creatinine evolution to determine the incidence of AKI. A Cox regression model was developed to determine which variables are associated with AKI. Results: 198 patients were found; 94 patients were discarded due to the lack of intraoperative data in the history chart. 54 (52%) cases of AKI were found, with a median survival time free of AKI of 83 days. No statistically significant differences in the univariate analyzes between the population with AKI and event-free patients. The regression model included the presence of severe ascites, MELD> 20 and the use of more than 4 units of cryoprecipitate during surgery. The presence of severe ascites confers a HR 0.36 (95% CI 0.14-0.92). Conclusions: In our study it was found after adjusting for the confounding variables, that severe ascites is associated with a decreased rate of AKI, a finding that could be understood studying the ischemic preconditioning phenomena that this population group can have. We consider a finding that should be taken into consideration in the studies that are carried out in the future.
