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Updated: May 10, 2026

Laparoscopic Anterior Right Hepatectomy: A Single-Center Experience
Published on: December 4, 2023
Risk factors of hospital mortality after re-laparotomy for post-hepatectomy hemorrhage
1Department of Hepatic Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, No. 225, Changhai Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China.
Background:
Post-hepatectomy hemorrhage (PHH) requiring re-laparotomy is a life-threatening situation and is associated with a considerably high hospital mortality rate. However, risk factors of hospital mortality in patients with this condition have not yet been investigated.
Methods:
The perioperative data of 258 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent re-laparotomy for PHH from 1997 to 2011 were retrospectively reviewed and evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses to identify risk factors of hospital mortality.
Result:
Hospital death occurred in 43 patients between 16 h and 40 days after re-laparotomy, and the overall mortality rate was 16.7 %. The median time lag between first recognition of active bleeding and re-laparotomy was 6 h (range 0.5-34 h). The mortality of patients undergoing late re-laparotomy (≥6 h) was much higher than those undergoing early re-laparotomy (<6 h) (25 vs 8.6 %; P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed early time period (1997-2004) (P = 0.040), liver cirrhosis (P = 0.025), ineffective hemostasis during re-laparotomy due to coagulopathy (P = 0.038), late re-laparotomy (≥6 h) (P = 0.032), postoperative liver failure (P = 0.001), and postoperative acute renal failure requiring hemodialysis (P = 0.024) were independent risk factors of hospital mortality.
Conclusion:
Immediate re-laparotomy is a key factor to reduce hospital mortality for patients with active bleeding after partial hepatectomy. More care should be taken in those patients who develop acute liver failure and/or serious acute renal failure after re-laparotomy.

