Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Transplant. Jun 18, 2026; 16(2): 119737
Published online Jun 18, 2026. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v16.i2.119737
Published online Jun 18, 2026. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v16.i2.119737
Impact of dexmedetomidine administration on serum creatinine levels following liver transplantation: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Sabah Kulsum, Department of Internal Medicine, New York Medical College-St. Mary’s St. Clare’s, Denville, NJ 07834, United States
Sajjad Ahmed Khan, Department of Internal Medicine, Birat Medical College Teaching Hospital, Tankisinuwari 56613, Nepal
Dushyant Singh Dahiya, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Motility, The Uni
Hadeera Ali, Department of Medicine, CMH Hospital, Bahawalpur 63100, Punjab, Pakistan
Umar Hayat, Department of Internal Medicine, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Wilkes Barre, PA 18711, United States
Mohamed Khalaf, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, United States
Hassam Ali, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, East Carolina University/ Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC 27834, United States
Author contributions: Kulsum S, Khan SA, Dahiya DS, Ali H, Hayat U, Khalaf M, and Ali H contributed to literature review, data extraction, analysis, and drafting of the manuscript, including preparation of figures and tables; Dahiya DS, Khalaf M, and Ali H critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content; Ali H supervised the project, and coordinated revisions; and all authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: Grammarly was used during the preparation of this manuscript for grammar checking and language refinement, which may have included AI-assisted suggestions for sentence restructuring and rephrasing. No other AI tools, including ChatGPT, DeepL, or any large language model, were used at any stage of this work. No portion of the manuscript, including the Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, or Conclusion, was independently AI-generated; all intellectual content, analysis, and conclusions were developed entirely by the authors. AI tools were not used for data analysis, study design, or interpretation of results. All figures, including the PRISMA flow diagram, forest plot, and funnel plot, using statistical software and subsequently reconstructed them in PowerPoint to provide editable versions as required by the editorial office.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Corresponding author: Hassam Ali, MD, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, East Carolina University/Brody School of Medicine, 2100 Statonsburg Road, Greenville, NC 27834, United States. hassamali155@gmail.com
Received: February 4, 2026
Revised: March 26, 2026
Accepted: April 13, 2026
Published online: June 18, 2026
Processing time: 114 Days and 12.3 Hours
Revised: March 26, 2026
Accepted: April 13, 2026
Published online: June 18, 2026
Processing time: 114 Days and 12.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Preoperative/perioperative dexmedetomidine administration was associated with a modest reduction in postoperative serum creatinine following liver transplantation; however, this effect did not translate into a consistent reduction in clinically meaningful renal outcomes such as acute kidney injury. Significant heterogeneity in creatinine measurement timing, outcome definitions, and analytical approaches across studies further limits interpretation, highlighting the need for standardized protocols and trials focused on clinically relevant renal endpoints.