Risk factors for early rebleeding after endoscopic therapy for esophageal varices in cirrhotic patients

Objective  To investigate the risk factors for early rebleeding after endoscopic ligation or sclerotherapy for esophageal variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients. Methods  A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 153 cirrhotic patients with esophageal variceal bleeding who underwent endoscopic ligation or sclerotherapy in Beijing YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, from May 2017 to May 2019, and according to the presence or absence of rebleeding from 72 hours to 6 weeks after endoscopic therapy, the patients were divided into rebleeding group and non-rebleeding group. A logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate independent risk factors for early rebleeding. The t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results  Early rebleeding rate was 24.8% (38/153). Compared with the non-rebleeding group, the rebleeding group had a significantly lower albumin (Alb) and significantly higher activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time (all P Conclusion  Portal vein thrombosis, massive ascites, Child-Pugh C liver cirrhosis, and hypoproteinemia are independent risk factors for early rebleeding after endoscopic therapy in cirrhotic patients with esophageal variceal bleeding, which should be taken seriously in clinical practice.