Low-dose Arginine-vasopressin Supplementation on Post-transplant Acute Kidney Injury After Liver Transplantation (AVENIR Trial)

Liver transplantation (LT) is a high-risk surgery for hemodynamic instability and haemorrhagic shock with a high-risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). Indeed, the incidence of post-transplant AKI exceeds 50% in some series with 15% of patients requiring renal replacement therapy. Acute kidney injury after LT is a predisposing factor for chronic renal failure which is independently associated with higher morbidity and mortality. Arginine vasopressin (AVP), an essential stress hormone released in response to hypotension, binds to AVPR1a to promote vasoconstriction. Furthermore, it may have nephroprotective effects with a preferential vasoconstriction of the post-glomerular arteriole resulting in increased glomerular filtration The hypothesis of the present work is that low-dose arginine-vasopressin supplementation reduce posttransplant AKI in liver transplantation.