[Use of blood components in 30 liver transplantations at the Hamburg Eppendorf University Clinic 1984 to 1989].

Among all major organ transplantations, orthotopic liver transplantation (LTX) requires the most extensive blood component support. From 1984 till 1989 we performed 30 LTX procedures on 27 patients. The number of blood components used totalled 1,000 units of packed red cells (RBC), 966 units of fresh-frozen plasma, 246 units of whole blood, 170 units of random-donor platelet-rich plasma and 71 units of platelet concentrates from cell separator. Three retransplantations were performed within 2 days after the first LTX. The lowest use of blood components was registered in patients with hepatoma, the highest in alcoholtoxic cirrhosis. Ten of the 27 patients are still alive.