Preoperative Glucocorticoid Use in Major Hepatectomy

Background: Reducing postoperative complications remains a dominant challenge for all clinicians. By minimizing the incidence of adverse outcomes, health care costs and patient recovery can be improved. A number of studies have documented that fewer postoperative adverse events occur with the preoperative use of glucocorticoids (GC). Two small manuscripts support the use of GC with particular reference to liver resection. Major hepatectomy can be associated with numerous adverse outcomes (hemorrhage, bile leak, liver failure, wound infection other infectious complications). This rate approaches 54% in some trials. Additionally, the liver is responsible for numerous metabolic functions and actively participates in the acute phase response via the generation of inflammatory mediators and cytokines. Glucocorticoids play an important role in suppressing the over-synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines and therefore may assist in reducing postoperative complications. These pro-inflammatory cytokines recruit leukocytes at the site of injury, leading to hepatic parenchymal cell damage. Decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokine ratio may therefore reduce hepatic damage. Methods: The investigators will complete a randomized controlled trial evaluating the incidence of postoperative complications and overall hospital length of stay in adult patients following preoperative vs. no administration of 500 mg of methylprednisolone (MP) within 30 minutes of starting a hepatectomy. This trial will employ block randomization and intention to treat protocols. Four HPB surgeons at University of Calgary will participate in the trial with a planned inclusion of all patients scheduled to undergo hepatectomy in a period of 2 years. Analysis: Standard statistical analysis will include normally or near-normally distributed variables reported as means and non-normally distributed variables as medians. Means will be compared using the student's t test and medians using the Mann-Whitney U test. Di