Bilateral brachial plexus injury after liver transplantation

Abstract

We report a case of bilateral brachial plexus injury following living-donor liver transplantation. A 35-year-old man with hepatitis C cirrhosis underwent liver transplantation under general anesthesia, performed in the supine position with 90° arm abduction. The surgery lasted for 14 h, and the anesthesia for 16 h. On postoperative day 1, it was noticed that he had brachial plexus injuries. We investigated the cause of the nerve injuries, in particular, the possible involvement of stretching, compression, or nerve ischemia, which can often result from excessive abduction, the use of shoulder braces, compression by the poles used in the operating theater or compression caused by surgeons leaning on the patient, or serious general status (e.g., hypotension or hypoxemia). Our findings were inconclusive, but we postulated that 90° abduction of the arms per se may have resulted in excessive stretching of the brachial nerves, causing his injuries.