According to an April 2017 Best Practice and Research Clinical Gastroenterology article by de Haan et al, “Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common postoperative complication after liver transplantation (LT)” that is “associated with inferior patient and graft outcomes.” Furthermore, “there is a clear need for strategies aimed at preventing or treating post-LT AKI.” To address this problem, Assistant Professor of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, Michael Bokoch, MD, PhD, has been awarded a grant from the UCSF Research Evaluation and Allocation Committee (REAC), to test whether mild hypothermia can prevent AKI in liver transplantation.
Dr. Bokoch’s preliminary work in this area was supported by a grant from the Research Division of the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care.