Objective  To investigate the risk factors of developing cardiac arrest in postreperfusion syndrome(PRS) of orthotopic liver transplantation(OLT).

  Methods  Clinical data of 192 patients who underwent OLT in the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University from 2003 to 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 38 patients developed PRS. According to the occurrence of cardiac arrest or not, the patients were divided into 2 groups, including 7 cases in cardiac arrest group(5 males and 2 females) and 31 cases in non-cardiac arrest group(23 males and 8 females). The probable influence factors of cardiac arrest were selected, including gender, age, preoperative cardiac indexes(electrocardiogram or color doppler ultrasound of heart), preoperative albumin, borderline pH value during opening circulation, borderline temperature, borderline blood potassium level, blood calcium level after opening, degree of donor fatty liver, time of occluding inferior vena cava, and cold ischemia time of donor liver. Comparison of data between two groups was used t-test or Fisher exact probability test. Rick factors with significance differences between two groups were analyzed by unconditional Logistic regression analysis.

  Results  Probable risk factors of developing cardiac arrest in PRS included borderline pH value < 7.35 during opening circulation, borderline temperature < 36℃ during opening circulation, borderline blood potassium level>4 mmol/L during opening circulation and moderate fatty liver (all in P < 0.05). Results of unconditional Logistic regression analysis showed that moderate fatty liver was an independent risk factor of cardiac arrest in PRS.

  Conclusions  Moderate fatty liver is an independent risk factor of cardiac arrest in PRS. The rational application of liver donors and paying more attention to perioperative treatment of recipients have important significance for reducing the incidence of cardiac arrest.