Lack of increased bleeding after liver biopsy in patients with mild hemostatic abnormalities

Prophylactic transfusions of fresh frozen plasma and platelets are sometimes given to patients with mild elevations in prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) and mild thrombocytopenia before percutaneous liver biopsy. To determine whether PTs and PTTs 1.1-1.5 times midrange normal levels and platelet counts 50-99 x 10(9)/L are associated with increased bleeding complications, hospital records of all patients who underwent percutaneous liver biopsy during 56 consecutive months (n = 291) were reviewed. Complete information was available for 177 inpatient procedures (155 standard, 22 fine needle). Overall, the frequency of bleeding complications in patients with platelet counts greater than or equal to 50 X 10(9)/L was 3.4% (6 of 175), with no significant difference between patients with mild hemostatic abnormalities and patients with normal parameters. These data suggest that prophylactic transfusions may not be necessary. One factor was highly associated with bleeding complications: a patient diagnosis of malignancy, 14% (7 of 50) compared with 0.8% (1 of 127) among other patients (P less than 0.001). These patients should be monitored closely after biopsy.