Characteristics of Patients with Cirrhosis and Impact on Outcomes Following Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia; A Retrospective National Population-Based Study between 2016 and 2019

Introduction: Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is characterized by thrombocytopenia and a prothrombotic state. It can occur following the use of heparin products of any form or dosage. Various factors predispose cirrhosis patients to thrombocytopenia, such as splenic platelet sequestration, lower levels and activity of thrombopoietin (TPO), bone marrow suppression secondary to chronic viral infections(e.g., Hepatitis C), and use of antiviral therapies such as interferons. As there is a paucity of data on the impact that cirrhosis confers on the outcomes following HIT, we conducted a retrospective nationwide analysis. Methods: A retrospective study of adult patients with HIT was performed using the2016-2019 National Inpatient Sample(NIS), a set of annual hospitalization databases produced by HCUP, AHRQ, and multiple partners. Patients with HIT were identified via the ICD-10 code “D7582”. We studied the differences in patient characteristics and multiple comorbidities among patients with and without cirrhosis, along with the impact on outcomes. Results: Our study included a total of 60800 cases of HIT, which included 3020(5.0%) cases with a diagnosis of cirrhosis (Table 1). The majority of cases involved patients classified as White, were Medicare-insured and underwent treatment in Urban-teaching centers. While patients with cirrhosis were younger (mean age 61.71 years vs. 64.39 years, p