Abstract
The long-term risk of thrombotic and vascular complications is elevated in liver transplant recipients compared to the general population. Patients with cirrhosis are in a hypercoagulable status during and directly after orthotopic liver transplantation, but it is unclear whether this hypercoagulability persists over time. We aimed to investigate the hemostatic status of liver transplant recipients one year after transplantation. We prospectively collected blood samples of 15 patients with a functioning graft one year after orthotopic liver transplantation and compared the hemostatic status of these patients with that of 30 healthy individuals. Patients one year after liver transplantation had significantly elevated plasma levels of von Willebrand factor (VWF). Thrombin generation, as assessed by the endogenous thrombin potential, was decreased in patients, which was associated with increased plasma levels of the natural anticoagulants antithrombin and tissue factor pathway inhibitor. Plasma fibrinolytic potential was significantly decreased in patients and correlated inversely with levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. One year after liver transplantation, liver graft recipients have a dysregulated hemostatic system characterised by elevation of plasma levels of endothelial-derived proteins. Increased levels of von Willebrand factor and decreased fibrinolytic potential may (in part) be responsible for the increased risk for vascular disease seen in liver transplant recipients.
Highlights
Patients with chronic liver disease frequently have major and multiple alterations in their hemostatic system, including a decreased platelet count and decreased plasma levels of pro- and anti-hemostatic proteins produced by the diseased liver1
We aimed to investigate the long-term status of the hemostatic system by Thrombin generation The thrombin generation test was performed using platelet-poor plasma (PPP) with the fluorimetric method described by Hemker, Calibrated Automated Thrombography® (CAT)17
There were five patients that were on platelet aggregation inhibitors at the time of the blood draw
Summary
Patients with chronic liver disease frequently have major and multiple alterations in their hemostatic system, including a decreased platelet count and decreased plasma levels of pro- and anti-hemostatic proteins produced by the diseased liver. In recent years it has become increasingly accepted that cirrhosis patients have a rebalanced hemostatic system which is not adequately represented by routine coagulation tests as they are only sensitive for procoagulant proteins and do not take the concomitant decrease in antihemostatic proteins into account. Methods: We prospectively collected blood samples of 15 patients with a functioning graft one year after orthotopic liver transplantation and compared the hemostatic status of these patients with that of 30 healthy individuals. Results: Patients one year after liver transplantation had significantly elevated plasma levels of von Willebrand factor (VWF). Conclusion: One year after liver transplantation, liver graft recipients have a dysregulated hemostatic system characterised by elevation of plasma levels of endothelial-derived proteins. Increased levels of von Willebrand factor and decreased fibrinolytic potential may (in part) be responsible for the increased risk for vascular disease seen in liver transplant recipients
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