Anaesthesia for Liver Transplantation in the Pig

SUMMARY Anaesthesia for liver transplantation in the pig presents the problems of long operation, haemorrhage and poor liver Junction. The long operation involves the monitoring of arterial pressure, central venous pressure and E.C.G. Haemorrhage was treated with titrated blood. The citrate intoxication was found to be controllable by intravenous calcium. The hypoglycaemia and acidosis attending the liver surgery was treated with intravenous glucose and bicarbonate respectively. The liability to coagulation whilst the venous blood from the lower limbs was being by-passed to the A.V.C. was treated by heparin ( 1 mg./kg.), whilst the bleeding tendency in the latter part of the operation was treated with epsilon amino caproic acid ( 100 mg./kg.).