Exploring the risk factors of early sepsis after liver transplantation: development of a novel predictive model

BackgroundSepsis is a severe and common complication of liver transplantation (LT) with a high risk of mortality. However, effective tools for evaluating its risk factors are lacking. Therefore, this study identified the risk factors of early post-liver transplantation sepsis and established a nomogram.MethodsWe analyzed the risk factors of post-liver transplantation sepsis in 195 patients. Patients with infection and a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) score ≥ 2 were diagnosed with sepsis. The predictive indicators were screened with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and collinearity analyses to develop a nomogram. The prediction performance of the new nomogram model, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, and Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) was compared through assessment of the area under the curve (AUC), decision curve analysis (DCA), net reclassification index (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI).ResultsThe nomogram was based on postoperative heart rate, creatinine concentration, PaO2/FiO2 ratio