Contents

Preoperative Hypofibrinogenemia Predicts Major Intraoperative Transfusion Requirement and Early Recovery After Living Donor Liver Transplantation: A Validation Study

Abstract

Background: Prior work identified preoperative fibrinogen <125 mg/dL as a predictor of transfusion in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), but external validation is lacking. This study provides external validation of this threshold. Objective: To externally validate the association between fibrinogen <125 mg/dL and major transfusion in adult LDLT recipients, and evaluate its relationship with early recovery. Methods: Consecutive adult LDLT recipients (Jan 2022-Dec 2023) were analyzed. The 125 mg/dL threshold was pre-specified from prior ROC analysis (AUC 0.638). Primary outcome: major transfusion (4 units PRBC, prespecified as upper quartile). Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for MELD-Na, INR, platelets, bilirubin, hemoglobin, albumin, cold ischemia time, and surgery duration. Model discrimination (AUC) and calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow) were assessed. Results: Among 219 recipients, 70 (32.0%) had fibrinogen <125 mg/dL. Low fibrinogen patients had higher platelet counts (79.6 vs. 52.2, p = 0.047), greater blood loss (1850 vs. 1050 mL, p < 0.001), more PRBC (5.5 vs. 2.5 units, p < 0.001), and more FFP (6.0 vs. 3.0 units, p < 0.001). Major transfusion occurred in 51.4% vs. 16.8% (p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, fibrinogen <125 mg/dL remained independently associated with major transfusion (aOR 7.84, 95% CI 1.98-31.02, p = 0.003). The model showed good discrimination (AUC 0.784) and calibration (p = 0.342). Each 50-mg/dL decrease in fibrinogen increased transfusion odds (aOR 1.38, p = 0.008). Low fibrinogen patients required longer ventilation (30 vs. 18 h, p = 0.002) and vasopressor support (28 vs. 16 h, p = 0.008). Conclusion: This validation study confirms fibrinogen <125 mg/dL predicts increased transfusion and delayed recovery after LDLT. However, the modest discriminative ability (prior AUC 0.638) suggests fibrinogen should be used with other markers, not alone. Multicenter validation is needed before clinical implementation.

Keywords: living donor liver transplantation; fibrinogen; hypofibrinogenemia; transfusion; perioperative outcomes
Copyright © 2025 Josh Levitsky and Andrew Martin. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.