Faculty Bibliography

Long thought to be hypocoagulable, new evidence suggests cirrhosis patients have "rebalanced" coagulation in the setting of decreased synthesis of both pro- and anti-coagulant factors. Traditional testing like PT/INR reflects only the decreased synthesis of pro-coagulant factors and thus does not correspond to bleeding or clotting risk in this population. In this review, we discuss the use of viscoelastic testing (VET), an assay of global hemostasis in cirrhosis patients. We describe the technique and interpretation of commercially available VET and assess the application of VET in both transplant and non-transplant cirrhosis populations. VET largely correlates well with traditional testing including platelet count and fibrinogen level, however, is potentially less accurate in patients with low fibrinogen levels. VET may be useful in identifying patients at higher risk of hypercoagulable complications post-transplant and reflects changes in hemostasis in decompensated patients. While VET has been associated with decreased transfusión support in multiple studies, the lack of bleeding in patients who avoided prophylactic transfusion suggests a "rescue" rather than prophylactic approach to transfusion may be ideal and further studies with a "rescue" arm are needed. Additional prospective studies of VET should include clinically relevant endpoints of bleeding and thrombosis.

OBJECTIVE:Patients with cirrhosis are at increased risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and portal vein thrombosis (PVT). Cirrhosis due to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) appears to be particularly prothrombotic. We investigated hospitalized patients with NASH cirrhosis to determine if they are at increased risk for VTE. METHODS:Data on adult hospitalized patients with cirrhosis and VTE (deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism) between November 1, 2010 and December 31, 2015 were obtained. Cases with VTE were matched by age, gender, and model for end stage liver disease (MELD) score to corresponding controls without VTE. RESULTS:Two hundred and ninety subjects (145 matched pairs) with mean age of 58.4 ± 11.8 years and MELD score of 16.0 ± 7.2 were included. Baseline characteristics were similar between cases and controls. Independent adjusted risk factors for VTE included NASH (OR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.07-5.65, p = 0.034), prior VTE (OR: 7.12, 95% CI: 1.99-25.5, p = 0.003), and presence of PVT (OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.03-4.58, p = 0.041). Thrombocytopenia was associated with decreased risk (OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.26-0.95, p = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS:NASH is an independent risk factor for VTE among cirrhosis patients and provides further evidence that NASH is a hypercoagulable state. While all hospitalized patients with cirrhosis at risk for VTE should be considered for medical thromboprophylaxis, those with NASH cirrhosis are at particularly increased risk and therefore a high index of suspicion for VTE should be maintained even in the presence of thromboprophylaxis.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM:Thrombosis is a vascular disorder of the liver often associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Cirrhosis is a predisposing factor for portal venous system thrombosis. The aim of this study is to determine differences between cirrhotics and non-cirrhotics that develop thrombosis in portal venous system and to evaluate if cirrhosis severity is related to the development of portal venous system thrombosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS:We studied patients diagnosed with portal venous system thrombosis using contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan and doppler ultrasound at Medica Sur Hospital from 2012 to 2017. They were categorized into two groups; cirrhotics and non-cirrhotics. We assessed the hepatic function by Child-Pugh score and model for end-stage liver disease. RESULTS:67 patients with portal venous system thrombosis (25 with non-cirrhotic liver and 42 with cirrhosis) were included. The mean age (± SD) was 65 ± 9.5 years in cirrhotic group and 57 ± 13.2 years (p = 0.009) in non-cirrhotic group. Comparing non-cirrhotics and cirrhotics, 8 non-cirrhotic patients showed evidence of extra-hepatic inflammatory conditions, while in the cirrhotic group no inflammatory conditions were found (p < 0.001). 27 (64.29%) cirrhotic patients had thrombosis in the portal vein, while only 9 cases (36%) were found in non-cirrhotics (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS:In cirrhotic patients, hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis were the strongest risk factors to develop portal venous system thrombosis. In contrast, extrahepatic inflammatory conditions were main risk factors associated in non-cirrhotics. Moreover, the portal vein was the most frequent site of thrombosis in both groups.

INTRODUCTION:The aim of this study is to investigate large volume therapeutic paracentesis using either a z-tract or axial (coxial) technique in a randomized controlled trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS:In this randomized, single blind study, patients with cirrhosis undergoing outpatient therapeutic paracentesis were randomized to the z-tract or the modified angular (coaxial) needle insertion technique. Subject and procedure characteristics were compared between the groups with ascites leakage as quantified by need for dressing changes with standardized sized gauze pads as a primary endpoint and subject procedural discomfort, operator preference, and procedure complications as secondary endpoints. RESULTS:72 paracenteses were performed during the study period: 34 to the z-tract and 38 to the coaxial insertion technique. Following exclusions, a total of 61 paracenteses were analyzed: 30 using the z-tract technique and 31 using the coaxial technique. There were equal rates of post-procedural leakage of ascites between groups (13% in both groups, p = 1.00). Using the visual analog scale (0 - 100), there was a statistically significant increase in the subject reported pain score with the z-tract compared with the coaxial method [26.4 (95% CI 18.7 - 34.1) vs. 17.2 (95% CI 10.6 - 23.8), p = 0.04]. Mean physician rated procedure difficulty (1 - 5) was significantly higher for the z-tract versus the coaxial technique [2.1 (95% CI 1.6 - 2.6) vs. 1.5 (95% CI 1.2 - 1.8), p = 0.04]. CONCLUSION:When compared to the z-tract technique, the coaxial insertion technique is superior during large volume paracentesis in cirrhosis patients.

The hemostatic environment in patients with cirrhosis is a delicate balance between prohemostatic and antihemostatic factors. There is a lack of effective laboratory measures of the hemostatic system in patients with cirrhosis. Many are predisposed to pulmonary embolus, deep vein thrombosis, and portal vein thrombosis in the pretransplantation setting. This pretransplantation hypercoagulable milieu seems to extend for at least several months post-transplantation. Patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, inherited thrombophilia, portal hypertension in the absence of cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma often require individualized approach to anticoagulation. Early reports suggest a potential role for low-molecular-weight heparins and direct-acting anticoagulants.