Coagulopathy in cirrhosis: A prospective study to correlate conventional tests of coagulation and bleeding following invasive procedures in cirrhotics.

BACKGROUND: Conventional tests of coagulation which only measure procoagulant factors do not correctly estimate the actual in vivo hemostatic balance in cirrhosis. This prospective multicenter study was conducted to evaluate safety of various invasive procedures in the presence of abnormal coagulation tests and to correlate conventional coagulation parameters with clinically significant bleeding in cirrhotics. METHODS: Three hundred and eighty patients (median age 54 years, 287 males) enrolled in the study were divided into two groups (A and B), according to the presence or absence of abnormal coagulation parameters (defined as INR ≥1.5 and/or platelet count ≤50,000/cum). RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-eight patients (33.68%) were qualified in group A. Alcohol was the predominant etiology of cirrhosis (40% and 32% in groups A and B, respectively). The two groups were similar in baseline characteristics other than tests of coagulation and severity of liver disease. Low risk procedures (abdominal paracentesis most common) were carried out in 47% and 53% patients in two groups, respectively. None of the patients in either group had clinically significant bleeding. Similarly, high risk procedures (central vein cannulation, liver biopsy, etc.) were carried out in 14% and 10%, respectively, in two groups. Three patients in group A developed clinically significant bleeding, however, the difference was statistically nonsignificant (p=0.061). None of our patients received periprocedural correction of abnormal coagulation parameters with plasma/platelet concentrate. CONCLUSIONS: Deranged conventional coagulation parameters did not predict clinically significant bleeding in cirrhosis. Whenever indicated, any invasive procedure could be safely carried out in patients with cirrhosis without prior correction of coagulation abnormalities.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure: a prospective study to determine the clinical profile, outcome, and factors predicting mortality.

BACKGROUND: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), defined differently by different associations, lacks consensus on clinical profile, precipitating events and factors predicting mortality. This prospective multicentric study was conducted to determine the relevance of European Association for Study of Liver (EASL) and Asia Pacific Association for Study of Liver (APASL) definitions and to determine prognostic factors predicting the survival. METHODS: Consecutive patients over a 3-month period with any form of acute deterioration were evaluated for presence of ACLF, as defined by APASL or EASL-Chronic Liver Failure (CLIF) criteria. Those enrolled underwent complete evaluation for identifying the acute insults, underlying chronic etiologies, presence of organ failures, and short-term survival. RESULTS: Sixty-two patients (median age 53 years, 51 males) who presented with either raised bilirubin (n = 52), international normalized ratio (INR) >1.5 (n = 46), new onset ascites (n = 53), or hepatic encephalopathy (n = 39) were included in study. Forty-four patients (36 males, 25 alcoholics) satisfied APASL definition of ACLF, with a mortality rate of 43.1 %. Hepatic encephalopathy (p-value 0.022) was significantly associated with mortality. By CLIF-Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score criteria for organ failure, 50 patients (80.6 %) had at least 1 organ failure whereas 15 had ≥3 organ failures (mortality rate >75 %). Twenty-nine patients classified as ACLF (1, 2, or 3) as per EASL-CLIF criteria. Bacterial infection, >1 precipitating event, additional organ failure, total leukocyte count, INR, and serum creatinine were significantly higher in patients with ACLF across all grades. Mortality rates were 6.6 and >60 % in patients with ACLF only by APASL criteria vs. by both criteria, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: ACLF, as defined by APASL in terms of liver failure, identified some patients with better survival rates as compared to EASL-CLIF definition which identifies presence of additional organ failures and high mortality.

A multicenter prospective study of infections related morbidity and mortality in cirrhosis of liver.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Infections are a common and serious complication among patients with cirrhosis. We assessed the epidemiology, risk factors, and clinical consequences of bacterial infections in cirrhotic patients. METHODS: In this multicenter prospective study, all patients with cirrhosis of liver with different infections were analyzed. Infections were classified as community-acquired (CA), healthcare-associated (HCA), or hospital-acquired (HA). Site of infection and characteristics of bacteria were recorded; effect on liver function and 30-day survival were evaluated. RESULTS: One hundred and six out of 420 (25 %) patients with cirrhosis of liver had infection. Infection rate among indoor patients was 37.5 % (92/245) and among outdoor patients was 8 % (14/175). Out of 106 patients, CA, HCA, and HA were seen in 19.8 %, 50 %, and 30.2 %, respectively. Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (31.1 %), urinary tract infections (22.6 %), and pneumonia and cellulitis (11.3 % each) were common infections. Gram-negative bacteria (54 %) were more common than Gram-positive cocci (46 %). Multidrug resistant (MDR) organisms were seen in 41.7 % of patients. Most of the MDR organisms were seen in HCA and HA patients. The degree of liver impairment was significantly more severe in patients with infection. Independent predictor of infection was high Child-Turcott-Pugh (CTP) class (p = 0.006, Child B vs. A (odds ratio (OR) 3.04 95 % CI = 1.63 to 5.68) and Child C vs. A (OR 4.17 95 % CI = 2.12 to 8.19). Overall in-hospital mortality was 7.6 %. Patients with infection had increased mortality at 30-day follow up compared to those without infection (23.5 % vs. 2.2 %; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Infections are one of the important causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with cirrhosis of liver. The most frequent infections are HCA and HA. Infection predisposes to deterioration of liver function and increases mortality. Cirrhotic patients should be monitored closely for infections especially those with Child class B and C.

Clinical predictors of acute kidney injury following snake bite envenomation.

BACKGROUND: Snake bite envenomation is a major public health concern in developing countries. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is as important cause of mortality in patients with vasculotoxic snake bite. AIMS: This study was to evaluate the clinical profile of snake bite patients and to determine the predictors of developing AKI following snake bite. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and eighty-one patients with snake envenomation were included. Eighty-seven patients developed AKI (Group A) and 194 (Group B) did not. History, examination findings and investigations results were recorded and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In group A, 61 (70.11%) patients were male and in group B, 117 (60.30%) patients were male. Out of 281 patients, 232 had cellulitis, 113 had bleeding tendencies, 87 had oliguria, 76 had neuroparalysis, and 23 had hypotension at presentation. After multivariate analysis, bite to hospital time (P = 0.016), hypotension (P = 0.000), albuminuria (P = 0.000), bleeding time (P = 0.000), prothrombin time (P = 0.000), hemoglobin (P = 0.000) and total bilirubin (P = 0.010) were significant independent predictors of AKI. CONCLUSIONS: AKI developed in 30.96% of patients with snake bite, leading to mortality in 39.08% patients. Factors associated with AKI are bite to hospital time, hypotension, albuminuria, prolonged bleeding time, prolonged prothrombin time, low hemoglobin and a high total bilirubin.