Malignancy does not dictate the hypercoagulable state following liver resection

A hypercoagulable state following intra-abdominal malignant resections has been reported. Whether this is because of the operation or the malignancy, a known cause of hypercoagulability, remains unclear. We determined if malignancy status affected the coagulation profile following liver resection by assessing perioperative thromboelastogram (TEG) values.

Retrospective review of prospectively collected TEG values in patients who received a liver resection was conducted. Values among patients with benign or malignant disease were compared.

Fourteen and 63 patients were resected for benign and malignant disease, respectively. No significant differences in TEG values existed between the groups. Combining the groups, patients developed a relative hypercoagulable state postoperatively with decreased R-times (P < .05), although median values remained within the normal range.

Following liver resection, no differences in TEG values existed between patients with benign and malignant disease; the relative hypercoagulable state is more likely driven by postoperative coagulopathy rather than the malignancy status of the patient.