Acute beriberi following liver transplantation

Patients scheduled for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) undergo extensive routine preoperative cardiac assessment. We describe a 32-year-old male who underwent uneventful OLT for end-stage liver failure on the basis of chronic hepatitis C and alcoholism. Despite a normal preoperative cardiac workup, the patient developed acute pulmonary edema on the second postoperative day. A diagnosis of beriberi was entertained and confirmed by (1) the thiamine diphosphate effect and (2) the dramatic response to intravenous thiamine. Possible precipitating factors are described. Thiamine, which has no significant toxicity, should probably be routinely supplemented in all patients undergoing OLT, especially those with a previous history of alcohol abuse.