Antithrombin effect on coagulation and fibrinolytic profiles after living donor liver transplantation: a pilot study

Early after liver transplantation, patients are in a hypercoagulable state because of an imbalance between coagulation and fibrinolysis because of the slow recovery of depleted anticoagulant proteins. Antithrombin (AT) is used in anticoagulant protocols to prevent thrombosis. The subjects of the present study were 17 men and eight women that underwent living donor liver transplantation. The initial 15 cases were administered AT concentrate (1500 U/day) on postoperative days (POD) 1 through 3 (AT group) and the following 10 consecutive cases were not administered AT (control). AT, thrombin-AT complex, plasmin-alpha2 plasmin inhibitor complex, thrombomodulin, fibrin degradation product D-dimer (FDP-DD) level, prothrombin time international normalized ratio, activated partial thromboplastin time, and platelet counts were measured. In the AT group, AT activity was maintained at levels >80% for 5 days after transplantation. In the control group, AT activity did not return to normal during the first 2 weeks after the operation. FDP-DD levels were significantly higher in the control group than in the AT group (P < 0.05). Six patients in the control group and three patients in the AT group required transfusions with platelet concentrate (P < 0.05). AT supplementation might reduce FDP-DD levels and prevent decreased platelet counts in the early stages after liver transplantation.