Korean J Blood Transfus.  2022 Aug;33(2):88-96. 10.17945/kjbt.2022.33.2.8 8.

Analysis of Perioperative Blood Usage in Liver Transplantation during a 12-year Period in Korea

• Lee JK
• Lee HS
• Kim B

• KMID: 2532792
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.17945/kjbt.2022.33.2.8 8

Abstract

Background
Liver transplantation (LT) is an effective treatment for acute or chronic end-stage liver disease, but it runs the risk of massive bleeding. As the number of LTs continues to increase, the quantity of blood products required during LTs is also expected to increase.
Methods
We analyzed the usage of red blood cells (RBCs), platelets, and plasma and the number of therapeutic plasma exchanges (TPEs) during the hospitalization of LT patients for 12 years from 2007 to 2018 using the National Health Information Database.
Results
A total of 12,056 LT patients were included in this study. Compared to the period 2007∼2009 and 2016∼2018, the consumption of RBCs increased from 47,986 units to 69,596 units, that of platelets increased from 82,448 units to 167,750 units, and plasma from 60,968 units to 122,177 units. The TPEs performed also increased from 273 in 2007∼2009 to 3,005 in 2016∼2018. RBC, platelet, and plasma all had higher median number of units per patient in deceased donor LT compared to living donor LT (P＜0.0001).
Conclusion
As the number of LT patients increased, the quantity of blood products used and the number of TPEs have also continuously increased. Given the limited availability of blood products, efforts must be made for their efficient use in LTs through proper planning and thorough preparation.

Keyword

Liver transplantation; Therapeutic plasma exchange; Blood transfusion