Prothrombotic State in a Patient With Acute Liver Failure: The Question of Anticoagulation

A 35-year-old male with acute liver failure due to acute hepatitis B virus infection was admitted to the intensive care unit with significant hepatocellular injury, cholestasis, abnormal standard coagulation tests, normal rotational thromboelastometry indices, and without signs of bleeding. He underwent emergency liver transplantation without requiring blood product transfusions or procoagulant treatments. The postoperative course was complicated by deep vein thrombosis and impending hepatic artery thrombosis treated with unfractionated heparin, aspirin, and intravenous prostacyclin. The patient survived and made a full neurological recovery. This case revealed the presence of a prothrombotic state due to a rebalanced coagulation system in a patient with liver dysfunction that was not identifiable by standard coagulation tests. This case emphasizes that identifying and treating coagulopathy is very difficult in liver failure patients and requires specific diagnostic and therapeutic strategies