[Perioperative anaesthetic practices in liver transplantation in France: Evolution between 2004 and 2008]

Lysis Timer: a new sensitive tool to diagnose hyperfibrinolysis in liver transplantation

Aims

Diagnosis of hyperfibrinolysis in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) remains challenging. Euglobulin clot lysis time (ECLT) is not adapted to clinical situations. ROTEM is specific but seldom sensitive to hyperfibrinolysis. The Lysis Timer assesses ‘Global Fibrinolytic Capacity’ in citrated plasma (GFC/LT). GFC/LT associates reagents for in vitro triggering of the clot (thrombin and calcium) and its lysis (tissue-plasminogenactivator (t-PA)), turbidity signal acquisition by the Lysis Timer, and dedicated software converting the digital signal into an optical curve. A visual check of the curves was systematic to ascertain the lysis time values calculated by the software. The primary aim of this prospective observational study was to evaluate the ability of GFC/LT to recognise hyperfibrinolysis during OLT. The secondary aim was to compare its results with ROTEM maximum lysis (EXTEM ML) and with standard laboratory tests.

Methods

Thirty consecutive adult patients undergoing OLT were included (NCT03012633). Standard laboratory tests, ROTEM, GFC/LT, ECLT and fibrinolysis parameters were assayed at five sample times.

Results

GFC/LT was correlated with ECLT, plasmin activator inhibitor 1 antigen and activity and t-PA activity (r=0.490, 0.681, 0.643 and –0.359, respectively). Hyperfibrinolysis was defined as ECLT ≤60 min. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that GFC/LT with a threshold of 31 min detected hyperfibrinolysis with a sensitivity of 0.88 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.96), a specificity of 0.68 (95% CI 0.56 to 0.78) and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.85 (95% CI 0.74 to 0.94). EXTEM ML >12% did not detect hyperfibrinolysis (sensitivity 0.38 (95% CI 0.24 to 0.55), specificity 0.95 (95% CI 0.86 to 0.99) and AUC 0.60 (95% CI 0.46 to 0.75)).

Conclusions

GFC/LT recognised hyperfibrinolysis during OLT with a significant agreement with the other tests of fibrinolysis.

Trial registration number

NCT03012633.

Analgesia after liver transplantation

This article addresses postoperative analgesia in patients with end-stage liver disease who have undergone liver transplantation (LT). Postoperative analgesia determines how patients perceive LT. Although important, this topic is underrepresented in the current literature. With an increased frequency of fast tracking in LT, efficient intra- and postoperative analgesia are undergoing changes. We herein review the current literature, compare the benefits and disadvantages of the therapeutic options, and make recommendations based on the current literature and clinical experience.

Management of bleeding and transfusion during liver transplantation before and after the introduction of a rotational thromboelastometry-based algorithm

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) remains a potentially hemorrhagic procedure. Rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) is a point-of-care device used to monitor coagulation during OLT. Whether it allows blood loss and transfusions to be reduced during OLT remains controversial. Excellent correlations and predictive values have been found between ROTEM parameters and fibrinogen. We hypothesized that the use of a ROTEM-based transfusion algorithm during OLT would lead to more fibrinogen transfusion and decreased bleeding and blood transfusion. Sixty adult patients were consecutively included in a prospective, without-versus-with study: 30 in the group without ROTEM results and 30 in the group with the ROTEM-based algorithm. A small and nonsignificant increase in median fibrinogen transfusions was found for the with group (6.0 g versus 4.5 g, P = 0.50). It was not associated with a decrease in blood transfusions or in the number of patients exposed to blood products.

[Causes of early mortality after liver transplantation: a twenty-years single centre experience]

OBJECTIVE

To define the causes of mortality of patients who died within the first three months after a liver transplantation.

TYPE OF STUDY

Retrospective, observational, and single centre study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between March 1989 and July 2010, all patients who died within three months after a liver transplantation were included. Demographic characteristics, preoperative and peroperative data, donor characteristics, postoperative complications and causes of mortality were collected.

RESULTS

Among the 788 performed liver transplantations, 76 patients died in intensive care unit (11%). The main indications of liver transplantation were alcoholic cirrhosis (30%), hepatitis C (28%), hepatocarcinoma (15%), primitive or secondary biliary cirrhosis (10%). Fifty percent of the patients were categorized as Child C. The main causes of death were non-function or dysfunction with retransplantation contra-indication graft (18%), sepsis (18%), neurological complications (12%), hemorrhagic shock (13%), (9%), multiorgan failures (5%), cardiac complications (6%).

CONCLUSION

In this study, the main causes of mortality were infectious, neurological and hemorrhagic. These results emphasize the necessity for better control of sepsis, haemorrhage and immunosupressors.

Risk factors for bleeding and transfusion during orthotopic liver transplantation

OBJECTIVE

While orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) can be associated with haemorrhage, the risk factors for bleeding and transfusion remain difficult to predict. Perioperative transfusion has potentially deleterious side effects and impairs graft and patient survival. Preoperative identification of patients at high risk of bleeding is of clinical interest to manage perioperative transfusion and blood product storage.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

All OLT conducted between 2004 and 2008 in the University Hospital of Bordeaux were studied. Risk factors for bleeding greater than one blood volume and for massive red blood cell (RBC) transfusion were determined using univariate and multivariate analysis. Thresholds were determined with ROC curve analysis.

RESULTS

One hundred and forty-eight transplantations were studied. Preoperative haemoglobin and Child class A were independent protective risk factors for bleeding greater than one blood volume (OR 0.81 [0.67-0.98] and 0.27 [0.10-0.72], respectively). Preoperative Hb was a protective risk factor (OR 0.71 [0.58-0.88]) whereas history of oesophageal varicose bleeding was a risk factor (OR 4.67 [1.45-15.05]) for transfusion of more than eight RBC.

CONCLUSION

Risk factors for bleeding and transfusion during OLT identified in this study were of little clinical usefulness so blood products should always be available during the procedure.