Association of coagulation tests with blood use during liver transplantation

This study is a retrospective review of 263 adult patients who underwent either their first or their second orthotopic liver transplantation between March 1985 and January 1992. Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin time (PT) were analyzed for correlation with the amount of blood transfused 70 minutes after reperfusion. The data were analyzed to estimate correlation between variables using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. A P value less than .05 was considered significant. Data analysis demonstrated a positive association between APTT and blood transfusion in all disease states, with the exception of patients who had retransplantation. A positive association existed between PT and the amount of blood transfused in patients with alcoholic liver disease, primary biliary cirrhosis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis.