Controlled low central venous pressure reduces blood loss and transfusion requirements in hepatectomy.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of low central venous pressure (LCVP) on blood loss and blood transfusion in patients undergoing hepatectomy.

METHODS: Electronic databases and bibliography lists were searched for potential articles. A meta-analysis of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating LCVP in hepatectomy was performed. The following three outcomes were analyzed: blood loss, blood transfusion and duration of operation.

RESULTS: Five RCTs including 283 patients were assessed. Meta-analysis showed that blood loss in the LCVP group was significantly less than that in the control group (MD = -391.95, 95%CI: -559.35--224.56, P < 0.00001). In addition, blood transfusion in the LCVP group was also significantly less than that in the control group (MD = -246.87, 95%CI: -427.06--66.69, P = 0.007). The duration of operation in the LCVP group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (MD = -18.89, 95%CI: -35.18--2.59, P = 0.02). Most studies found no significant difference in renal and liver function between the two groups.

CONCLUSION: Controlled LCVP is a simple and effective technique to reduce blood loss and blood transfusion during liver resection, and appears to have no detrimental effects on liver and renal function.