Table 3.
Clinical Outcomes and Adverse Events between the Maximal and Minimal EVL Groups
| Variable | Maximal EVL (n=681) | Minimal EVL (n=692) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers of band at first session | 4.8±2.0 | 1.6±0.9 | <0.001 |
| Requiring blood transfusion within 72 hours | 398 (58.4) | 552 (79.8) | <0.001 |
| Units of packed RBCs | 3.7±3.4 | 3.9±2.8 | 0.221 |
| Adverse event during EVL | |||
| Aspiration pneumonia | 11 (1.6) | 16 (2.3) | 0.438 |
| Hypoxia | 20 (2.9) | 6 (0.9) | 0.005 |
| Bradycardia | 6 (0.9) | 6 (0.9) | >0.999 |
| Shock | 23 (3.4) | 9 (1.3) | 0.012 |
| Death | 5 (0.7) | 8 (1.2) | 0.579 |
| Treatment failure* | 52 (7.6) | 96 (13.9) | <0.001 |
| Rebleeding within 30 days | 21 (3.2) | 31 (4.7) | 0.203 |
| HEP after EVL within 30 days | 35 (5.1) | 72 (10.4) | <0.001 |
| 30-Day mortality | 44 (6.5) | 83 (12.0) | <0.001 |
| Cause of death | 0.009 | ||
| Variceal bleeding | 9 (1.3) | 14 (2.0) | |
| HCC | 3 (0.4) | 9 (1.3) | |
| Hepatic failure | 30 (4.4) | 52 (7.5) | |
| Infection | 1 (0.1) | 2 (0.3) | |
| Others | 1 (0.1) | 6 (0.9) | |
| Duration of follow-up, day | 770 (225–1,466) | 714 (116–1,549) | 0.186 |
| Prophylactic EVL on same hospitalization | 184 (27.0) | 324 (46.8) | <0.001 |
| Number of endoscopic sessions for complete eradication | 1.4±0.6 | 1.5±0.6 | 0.001 |
| 1 | 441 (64.8) | 380 (54.9) | |
| 2 | 228 (33.5) | 297 (42.9) | |
| 3 | 9 (1.3) | 11 (1.6) | |
| 4 | 1 (0.1) | 1 (0.1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 3 (0.4) | |
| 6 | 2 (0.3) | 0 | |
| Length of hospital stay, day | 9 (6–14) | 9 (7–14) | 0.267 |
Data are presented as mean±SD, number (%), or median (interquartile range).
EVL, endoscopic variceal ligation; RBC, red blood cell; HEP, hepatic encephalopathy; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma.
*Treatment failure was defined as failure to control bleeding, early rebleeding, or death within 5 days.