Generation of neutrophil extracellular traps in patients with acute liver failure is associated with poor outcome.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Acute liver failure (ALF) is characterized by significant changes in the hemostatic system and by systemic inflammation. The formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), in which an activated neutrophil expels its DNA, histones, and granular enzymes, such as myeloperoxidase (MPO), has been associated with immune-mediated and thrombotic diseases. We hypothesized that formation of NETs in patients with ALF contributes to progression of disease. APPROACH AND RESULTS: A total of 676 patients with ALF (international normalized ratio [INR], ≥1.5) or severe acute liver injury (ALI; INR, ≥2.0) were recruited from the U.S. ALF Study Group Registry between 2011 and 2018, of whom 308 patients (45.6%) had acetaminophen-induced ALF. Up to 21 days after admission, 483 patients (71.5%) survived without liver transplantation (LT). Levels of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and the specific NET marker MPO-DNA complexes were measured in plasma samples obtained on admission and compared to levels in healthy controls. In addition, liver tissue obtained at transplantation of 20 ALF patients was stained for NETs. Levels of cfDNA were 7.1-fold, and MPO-DNA complexes 2.5-fold, higher in patients with ALF compared to healthy controls. cfDNA levels were not associated with 21-day transplant-free survival, but were higher in those patients with more-severe disease on admission, as reflected by various laboratory and clinical parameters. MPO-DNA levels were 30% higher in patients with ALF who died or required urgent LT. Liver tissue of ALF patients stained positive for NETs in 12 of 18 evaluable patients. CONCLUSIONS: Here, we provide evidence for NET formation in patients with ALF. Elevated plasma levels of MPO-DNA complexes in patients with ALF were associated with poor outcome, which suggests that NET formation contributes to disease progression.

Nonmalignant portal vein thrombi in patients with cirrhosis consist of intimal fibrosis with or without a fibrin-rich thrombus.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a common complication of cirrhosis. The exact pathophysiology remains largely unknown, and treatment with anticoagulants does not lead to recanalization of the portal vein in all patients. A better insight into the structure and composition of portal vein thrombi may assist in developing strategies for the prevention and treatment of PVT. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Sixteen prospectively and 63 retrospectively collected nonmalignant portal vein thrombi from patients with cirrhosis who underwent liver transplantation were included. Histology, immunohistochemistry, and scanning electron microscopy were used to assess structure and composition of the thrombi. Most recent CT scans were reanalyzed for thrombus characteristics. Clinical characteristics were related to histological and radiological findings. All samples showed a thickened, fibrotic tunica intima. Fibrin-rich thrombi were present on top of the fibrotic intima in 9/16 prospective cases and in 21/63 retrospective cases. A minority of the fibrotic areas stained focally positive for fibrin/fibrinogen (16% of cases), von Willebrand factor (VWF; 10%), and CD61 (platelets, 21%), while most of the fibrin-rich areas stained positive for those markers (fibrin/fibrinogen, 100%; VWF, 77%; CD61, 100%). No associations were found between clinical characteristics including estimated thrombus age and use of anticoagulants and presence of fibrin-rich thrombi. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that PVT in patients with cirrhosis consists of intimal fibrosis with an additional fibrin-rich thrombus in only one-third of cases. We hypothesize that our observations may explain why not all portal vein thrombi in patients with cirrhosis recanalize by anticoagulant therapy.

Circulating Markers of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Are of Prognostic Value in Patients With COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: The full spectrum of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection ranges from asymptomatic to acute respiratory distress syndrome, characterized by hyperinflammation and thrombotic microangiopathy. The pathogenic mechanisms are poorly understood, but emerging evidence suggest that excessive neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation plays a key role in COVID-19 disease progression. Here, we evaluate if circulating markers of NETs are associated with COVID-19 disease severity and clinical outcome, as well as to markers of inflammation and in vivo coagulation and fibrinolysis. Approach and Results: One hundred six patients with COVID-19 with moderate to severe disease were enrolled shortly after hospital admission and followed for 4 months. Acute and convalescent plasma samples as well as plasma samples from 30 healthy individuals were assessed for markers of NET formation: citrullinated histone H3, cell-free DNA, NE (neutrophil elastase). We found that all plasma levels of NET markers were elevated in patients with COVID-19 relative to healthy controls, that they were associated with respiratory support requirement and short-term mortality, and declined to those found in healthy individuals 4 months post-infection. The levels of the NET markers also correlated with white blood cells, neutrophils, inflammatory cytokines, and C-reactive protein, as well as to markers of in vivo coagulation, fibrinolysis, and endothelial damage. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a role of NETs in COVID-19 disease progression, implicating their contribution to an immunothrombotic state. Further, we observed an association between circulating markers of NET formation and clinical outcome, demonstrating a potential role of NET markers in clinical decision-making, as well as for NETs as targets for novel therapeutic interventions in COVID-19.

Fibrinolysis in Patients with Liver Disease.

Patients with liver disease acquire complex changes in their hemostatic system. Historically, these patients were considered to have a bleeding tendency related, in part, to a hyperfibrinolytic state. However, studies using more modern fibrinolysis tests have questioned the presence of a hyperfibrinolytic state in patients with liver disease and its association with bleeding risk. It may be that the sickest patients with liver disease do have fibrinolytic abnormalities. However, the debate on the fibrinolytic state of patients with (decompensated) cirrhosis or critically ill liver disease is complicated by the fact that hypo- and hyperfibrinolysis have been poorly defined. This could, in part, be explained by the lack of reliable tests that assess a patient's fibrinolytic status. Moreover, large clinical studies on the relationship between bleeding and fibrinolysis in patients with liver disease are scarce. Here, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on fibrinolysis in various types of liver diseases and possible implications as a target for therapeutic strategies in liver disease. As antifibrinolytic therapy has been shown to be safe and effective during liver transplantation, it could potentially be of use in patients with (either laboratory-established or suspected) hyperfibrinolysis-related bleeding.

Post-transplant cholangiopathy: Classification, pathogenesis, and preventive strategies.

Biliary complications are the most frequent cause of morbidity, re-transplantation, and even mortality after liver transplantation. In general, biliary leakage and anastomotic and non-anastomotic biliary strictures (NAS) can be recognized. There is no consensus on the exact definition of NAS and different names and criteria have been used in literature. We propose to use the term post-transplant cholangiopathy for the spectrum of abnormalities of large donor bile ducts, that includes NAS, but also intraductal casts and intrahepatic biloma formation, in the presence of a patent hepatic artery. Combinations of these manifestations of cholangiopathy are not infrequently found in the same liver and ischemia-reperfusion injury is generally considered the common underlying mechanism. Other factors that contribute to post-transplant cholangiopathy are biliary injury due to bile salt toxicity and immune-mediated injury. This review provides an overview of the various types of post-transplant cholangiopathy, the presumed pathogenesis, clinical implications, and preventive strategies.

Elevated Plasma Levels of Cell-Free DNA During Liver Transplantation Are Associated With Activation of Coagulation.

Patients undergoing liver transplantation have complex changes in their hemostatic system, and the net effect of these changes appears to be a "rebalanced" hemostatic profile. Recently, a process called NETosis in which a neutrophil expels DNA and proteins that form a weblike structure, has been described as a mechanism of pathogen entrapment. Increasing evidence suggests a pivotal role for neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and their main component, cell-free DNA (cfDNA), in activation of coagulation. Because liver transplantation is associated with substantial (hepatocyte) cell death and intrahepatic neutrophil accumulation, NETs might play an important role in the hemostatic balance during liver transplantation. Here, we determined markers for NETs in the plasma of patients undergoing a liver transplantation and examined their association with activation of coagulation. Markers for NETs and markers for activation of coagulation were determined in serial plasma samples taken from patients undergoing a liver transplantation (n = 21) and compared with plasma levels in healthy controls. We found perioperative increases of markers for NETs with levels of cfDNA and nucleosomes that peaked after reperfusion and myeloperoxidase (MPO)-DNA complexes that peaked during the anhepatic phase. CfDNA and nucleosome levels, but not MPO-DNA levels, correlated with prothrombin fragment 1+2 and thrombin-antithrombin complex levels, which are established markers for activation of coagulation. Neutrophils undergoing NETosis were observed by immunostainings in postreperfusion biopsies. In conclusion, although NETosis occurs during liver transplantation, the majority of circulating DNA appears to be derived from cell death within the graft. The perioperative increases in cfDNA and nucleosomes might contribute to the complex hemostatic rebalance during liver transplantation.

Prophylactic fresh frozen plasma and platelet transfusion have a prothrombotic effect in patients with liver disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with liver disease acquire complex changes in their hemostatic system, resulting in prolongation of the international normalized ratio and thrombocytopenia. Abnormalities in these tests are commonly corrected with fresh frozen plasma (FFP) or platelet transfusions before invasive procedures. Whether these prophylactic transfusions are beneficial and truly indicated is increasingly debated. In this study, we studied ex vivo effects of FFP and platelet transfusions in patients with liver disease-associated hemostatic changes in a real-life clinical setting. METHODS: We included 19 patients who were deemed to require prophylactic FFP transfusion by their treating physician and 13 that were prescribed platelet transfusion before a procedure. Hemostatic status was assessed in blood samples taken before and after transfusion and compared with healthy controls (n = 20). RESULTS: Ex vivo thrombin generation was preserved in patients with liver disease before FFP transfusion. Following FFP transfusion, both in and ex vivo thrombin generation significantly increased, as evidenced by a 92% and 38% increase in thrombin-antithrombin and prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 levels, respectively, and a 20% increase in endogenous thrombin potential. Platelet counts increased from 28 [21-41] × 109 /L before to 43 [39-64] × 109 /L after platelet transfusion (P < .01), and was accompanied by increases in in vivo markers of hemostatic activation. CONCLUSIONS: FFP and platelet transfusion resulted in increased thrombin generation and platelet counts in patients with liver disease, indicating a prothrombotic effect. However, whether all transfusions were truly indicated and had a clinically relevant effect is questionable.

Prothrombotic changes in patients with COVID-19 are associated with disease severity and mortality.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at significant risk of thrombotic complications. However, their prothrombotic state is incompletely understood. Therefore, we measured in vivo activation markers of hemostasis, plasma levels of hemostatic proteins, and functional assays of coagulation and fibrinolysis in plasma from patients with COVID-19 and determined their association with disease severity and 30-day mortality. METHODS: We included 102 patients with COVID-19 receiving various levels of respiratory support admitted to general wards, intermediate units, or intensive care units and collected plasma samples shortly after hospital admission. RESULTS: Patients with COVID-19 with higher respiratory support had increased in vivo activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis, as reflected by higher plasma levels of d-dimer, thrombin-antithrombin, and plasmin-antiplasmin complexes as compared to patients with no to minimal respiratory support and healthy controls. Moreover, the patients with COVID-19 with higher respiratory support exhibited substantial ex vivo thrombin generation and lower ex vivo fibrinolytic capacity, despite higher doses of anticoagulant therapy compared to less severely ill patients. Fibrinogen, factor VIII, and von Willebrand factor levels increased, and ADAMTS13 levels decreased with increasing respiratory support in patients with COVID-19. Low platelet count; low levels of prothrombin, antithrombin, and ADAMTS13; and high levels of von Willebrand factor were associated with short-term mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Severe COVID-19 is associated with prothrombotic changes with increased in vivo activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis, despite anticoagulant therapy.

Heparins have adequate ex vivo anticoagulant effects in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with cirrhosis are at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), but strategies for thromboprophylaxis have not been defined. Previous in vitro studies suggest an altered anticoagulant effect of heparins in patients with cirrhosis. OBJECTIVES: To assess the anticoagulant effects of prophylactic low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) or unfractionated heparin (UFH) doses in patients with cirrhosis in a real-life clinical setting. METHODS: We studied patients with cirrhosis (n = 16) and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) (n = 14), and compared these with patients without underlying liver disease admitted to non-liver general medical wards (n = 18) and non-liver intensive care units (n = 14), respectively. Blood samples were taken before and 4 h after administration of the first dose of LMWH or UFH. We assessed hemostatic status using thrombin generation assays, thrombin-antithrombin complexes (TAT), and conventional coagulation assays, and included healthy controls (n = 20) to establish reference values. Anti-Xa activity was determined to estimate peak heparin levels. RESULTS: Baseline thrombin generation was similar among all cohorts and healthy controls despite alterations in conventional coagulation assays. On heparin, both absolute and proportional changes of thrombin generation were comparable between all four cohorts (-62% to -85%). TAT levels decreased in all cohorts apart from the ACLF cohort, but did not correlate with the proportional change in thrombin generation. Anti-Xa activity correlated with the proportional change in thrombin generation in patients receiving LMWH, but not in patients receiving UFH. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that current prophylactic heparin doses have comparable anticoagulant effects in patients with cirrhosis compared with patients without underlying liver disease.

Dual Versus Single Oxygenated Hypothermic Machine Perfusion of Porcine Livers: Impact on Hepatobiliary and Endothelial Cell Injury.

BACKGROUND: Hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion (HOPE) reduces ischemia-reperfusion injury of donor livers and is increasingly used in clinical transplantation. However, it remains unclear whether perfusion via the portal vein alone (HOPE) or via both the portal vein and hepatic artery (dual HOPE or DHOPE) is superior. METHODS: Twelve porcine livers donated after circulatory death were randomized for 2 h of HOPE (n = 6) or DHOPE (n = 6), followed by 4 h of warm reperfusion with whole blood, to mimic transplantation. Hepatobiliary and endothelial cell function and injury markers were determined in perfusate and bile samples. Biopsies of bile ducts, hepatic arteries, and liver parenchyma were collected to assess histological damage and the expression of endothelial protective genes (KLF-2, eNOS, ET-1, CD31, VWF, VEGF-A). RESULTS: There were no differences in hepatobiliary function and injury after warm reperfusion between the groups, apart from a 2-fold lower concentration of alanine aminotransferase in the perfusate (P = 0.045) and a lower peak lactate dehydrogenase in bile (P = 0.04) of livers preserved by DHOPE. Endothelial cell function and injury, as assessed by perfusate nitric oxide and von Willebrand factor antigen levels, as well as endothelial protective gene expressions, were similar between the groups. The hepatic arteries of both groups showed no microscopic evidence of injury. CONCLUSIONS: This study did not reveal major differences in hepatobiliary or endothelial function and injury after preservation by single or dual HOPE of porcine livers donated after circulatory death.

In vitro hypercoagulability and ongoing in vivo activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis in COVID-19 patients on anticoagulation.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is associated with a substantial risk of venous thrombotic events, even in the presence of adequate thromboprophylactic therapy. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to better characterize the hypercoagulable state of COVID-19 patients in patients receiving anticoagulant therapy. METHODS: We took plasma samples of 23 patients with COVID-19 who were on prophylactic or intensified anticoagulant therapy. Twenty healthy volunteers were included to establish reference ranges. RESULTS: COVID-19 patients had a mildly prolonged prothrombin time, high von Willebrand factor levels and low ADAMTS13 activity. Most rotational thromboelastometry parameters were normal, with a hypercoagulable maximum clot firmness in part of the patients. Despite detectable anti-activated factor X activity in the majority of patients, ex vivo thrombin generation was normal, and in vivo thrombin generation elevated as evidenced by elevated levels of thrombin-antithrombin complexes and D-dimers. Plasma levels of activated factor VII were lower in patients, and levels of the platelet activation marker soluble CD40 ligand were similar in patients and controls. Plasmin-antiplasmin complex levels were also increased in patients despite an in vitro hypofibrinolytic profile. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 patients are characterized by normal in vitro thrombin generation and enhanced clot formation and decreased fibrinolytic potential despite the presence of heparin in the sample. Anticoagulated COVID-19 patients have persistent in vivo activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis, but no evidence of excessive platelet activation. Ongoing activation of coagulation despite normal to intensified anticoagulant therapy indicates studies on alternative antithrombotic strategies are urgently required.