Effect of nafamostat mesilate on coagulation and fibrinolysis in hepatic resection

The effect of nafamostat mesilate on coagulation and fibrinolysis was investigated in a study of 22 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent a hepatic resection. The patients were divided into two groups: group 1, control (n = 11) and group 2, those with the intraoperative and postoperative use of nafamostat mesilate (0.2 to 0.4 milligram per kilogram per hour, n = 11). Nafamostat mesilate tended to suppress the coagulation expressed by thrombin-antithrombin III complex and fibrinopeptide A both during and immediately after operation. Moreover, nafamostat mesilate significantly suppressed the fibrinolysis expressed by euglobulin lysis activity both during and after operation. With regard to the initial stage of the fibrinolytic system, such as tissue-type plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, there was no difference between the groups. Therefore, the suppression of the euglobulin lysis activity may be caused by the inhibition of plasmin activity. There was no difference between the groups regarding operative blood loss. However, the rate of blood transfusion in group 2 was lower than that in group 1, and no fresh frozen plasma was required for the patients who lost over 2,000 milliliters of blood. Nafamostat mesilate can suppress euglobulin lysis activity both intraoperatively and postoperatively, and thus decrease the amount of blood transfusion needed. Therefore, at present, nafamostat mesilate seems to be one of the most useful agents for stabilizing the coagulant and fibrinolytic systems in hepatic resection.