Controlling gastric variceal bleeding with endoscopically applied hemostatic powder (HemosprayTM)
Authors: I. Lisanne Holster, Jan-Werner Poley, Ernst J. Kuipers, Eric T.T.L. Tjwa
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2012)

Gastric variceal bleeding tends to be more severe (2.9 vs. 4.8 transfusion units per patient) and is associated with a higher mortality (30% vs. 45%) than bleeding from oesophageal varices [1Irani S. Kowdley K. Kozarek R. Gastric varices: an updated review of management.J Clin Gastroenterol. 2011; 45: 133-148Crossref PubMed Scopus (50) Google Scholar, 2Sarin S.K. Lahoti D. Saxena S.P. Murthy N.S. Makwana U.K. Prevalence, classification and natural history of gastric varices: a long-term follow-up study in 568 portal hypertension patients.Hepatology. 1992; 16: 1343-1349Crossref PubMed Scopus (842) Google Scholar, 3Jensen D.M. Kovacs T.O. Chavalitdhamrong D. Chapter 6: variceal bleeding: endoscopic diagnosis, endoscopic therapy, and pharmacotherapy.in: Sung J.J. Kuipers E.J. Barkun A.N. Gastrointestinal bleeding. 2 ed. Wiley-Blackwell, London2012: 97-118Crossref Scopus (1) Google Scholar].Failure of endoscopic therapy commonly requires rescue placement of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) [[4]de Franchis R. Baveno V.F. Revising consensus in portal hypertension: report of the Baveno V consensus workshop on methodology of diagnosis and therapy in portal hypertension.J Hepatol. 2010; 53: 762-768Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1102) Google Scholar], but this option is costly and not always feasible.HemosprayTM is a novel hemostatic spray recently introduced for the management of non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding [[5]Sung J.J. Luo D. Wu J.C. Ching J.Y. Chan F.K. Lau J.Y. et al.Early clinical experience of the safety and effectiveness of Hemospray in achieving hemostasis in patients with acute peptic ulcer bleeding.Endoscopy. 2011; 43: 291-295Crossref PubMed Scopus (176) Google Scholar].We describe the first case of variceal bleeding refractory to standard endoscopic therapy, successfully treated with HemosprayTM, obviating the need for TIPS.A 79-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with a 3-day history of melena. Her previous medical history included idiopathic myelofibrosis with hepatosplenomegaly due to extramedullary hematopoiesis. This was complicated by portal hypertension and ascites. Furthermore, she suffered from a severe hypertension-related pre-existent dilated cardiomyopathy. Previous upper endoscopy did not show the presence of varices.At presentation she had a blood pressure of 80/40 mmHg with a pulse rate of 90 bpm with peripheral cyanosis. On rectal examination, black stools were noticed. Laboratory test results showed haemoglobin 4.8 mmol/L, urea 27 mmol/L, creatinine 68 mmol/L, INR 1.4, and normal transaminases and bilirubin.In anticipation of a variceal haemorrhage, standard administration of an antibiotic (norfloxacin 400 mg twice daily) and vasopressor drugs (octreotide) was initiated. Fluid and packed cell administration was restricted to stabilize vital signs. The patient was meanwhile transferred to the intensive care unit.Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed using an Olympus Q180-1T scope (Olympus, Japan). In the distal esophagus, small varices without bleeding stigmata were seen, but in the gastric fundus, a profusely bleeding varix of 8 mm (GOV2 [[2]Sarin S.K. Lahoti D. Saxena S.P. Murthy N.S. Makwana U.K. Prevalence, classification and natural history of gastric varices: a long-term follow-up study in 568 portal hypertension patients.Hepatology. 1992; 16: 1343-1349Crossref PubMed Scopus (842) Google Scholar]) was observed. Next, in three consecutive injections, a total volume of 2.6 ml HistoAcrylTM with lipiodol was injected. However, hemostasis could not be achieved and hemodynamic instability ensued. Rescue treatment with TIPS was considered, but not pursued given her cardiac condition. Instead of injecting more HistoAcrylTM, we decided to apply HemosprayTM (Cook Medical, USA). For this, we sprayed approximately 10 g of HemosprayTM covering the entire bleeding varix. Persistent hemostasis was confirmed after 5 min of visual inspection.The patient received standard post-endoscopic care and went home. No rebleeding occurred at follow-up at day 7 and 30. We did not perform a second-look endoscopy given the absence of signs of rebleeding.Gastric variceal haemorrhage is an acute life-threatening condition in which the endoscopist is challenged to act swift in a technically demanding retroflexed position. Endoscopic management involves single or multiple injection(s) of cyanoacrylate glue into the varix resulting in the formation of a polymeric plug. Despite its relative high initial hemostasis rate (87–100%) [[1]Irani S. Kowdley K. Kozarek R. Gastric varices: an updated review of management.J Clin Gastroenterol. 2011; 45: 133-148Crossref PubMed Scopus (50) Google Scholar], injection carries distinct risks. First, polymerisation of acrylate beyond the bleeding site may result in thromboembolic events [[1]Irani S. Kowdley K. Kozarek R. Gastric varices: an updated review of management.J Clin Gastroenterol. 2011; 45: 133-148Crossref PubMed Scopus (50) Google Scholar]. Second, needle obstruction frequently occurs necessitating retrieval. This means loss of precious time. Third, ulceration of the bleeding site after injection is commonly seen, and may result in secondary bleeding [[1]Irani S. Kowdley K. Kozarek R. Gastric varices: an updated review of management.J Clin Gastroenterol. 2011; 45: 133-148Crossref PubMed Scopus (50) Google Scholar].When hemostatic treatment with cyanoacrylate glue fails, urgent TIPS is not always feasible due to local unavailability, when the patient condition is too unstable or, as in this case, when there are clear contraindications such as cardiomyopathy [[6]Colombato L. The role of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in the management of portal hypertension.J Clin Gastroenterol. 2007; 41: S344-S351Crossref PubMed Scopus (108) Google Scholar].HemosprayTM is a novel proprietary hemostatic spray recently introduced for the management of non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Its safety and efficacy have been shown in peptic ulcer bleeding [[5]Sung J.J. Luo D. Wu J.C. Ching J.Y. Chan F.K. Lau J.Y. et al.Early clinical experience of the safety and effectiveness of Hemospray in achieving hemostasis in patients with acute peptic ulcer bleeding.Endoscopy. 2011; 43: 291-295Crossref PubMed Scopus (176) Google Scholar], as well as in cancer-related upper GI bleeding [[7]Chen Y.I. Barkun A.N. Soulellis C. Mayrand S. Ghali P. Use of the endoscopically applied hemostatic powder TC-325 in cancer-related upper GI hemorrhage: preliminary experience (with video).Gastrointest Endosc. 2012; 75: 1278-1281Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (71) Google Scholar]. Upon application, this inorganic hemostatic powder becomes cohesive and adhesive, and forms a stable mechanical barrier that covers the bleeding site. We report on the first case in literature in which HemosprayTM is successfully applied in initially failed endoscopic hemostasis of a variceal bleeding.There are few concerns that need to be addressed. HemosprayTM is applied by a CO2-propelled canister with a positive outflow pressure. Hypothetically, particles may enter the vascular system and give rise to venous thromboembolisation. However, the outflow pressure at the catheter tip is less than the known intravariceal venous pressures (often exceeding 15 mmHg) [[8]Bosch J. Abraldes J.G. Berzigotti A. Garcia-Pagan J.C. The clinical use of HVPG measurements in chronic liver disease.Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009; 6: 573-582Crossref PubMed Scopus (450) Google Scholar] at a distance of 1–2 cm from the mucosa. Also, data from an ongoing multicentre European initiative on the use of HemosprayTM for non-variceal upper GI bleeding does not report incidence of thromboembolism (unpublished data). Another concern involves the effects of HemosprayTM in coagulation. This is important since most gastric varices occur in cirrhotic patients with frequent unbalance of pro- and anti-coagulatory factors [[9]Tripodi A. Mannucci P.M. The coagulopathy of chronic liver disease.N Engl J Med. 2011; 365: 147-156Crossref PubMed Scopus (929) Google Scholar]. More studies need to be performed to elucidate this issue, but preliminary data show only minor in vitro effects of HemosprayTM on coagulation parameters [[10]Holster IL, de Maat MPM, Ducharme R, Kuipers EJ, Tjwa ETTL. In vitro examination of the effects of Hemostatic Powder (HemosprayTM) in humans on coagulation and thrombus formation. Abstract no: Sa1671. Digestive Disease Week. San Diego; 2012.Google Scholar].In conclusion, Hemospray™ may offer a simple and welcome alternative in durably controlling bleeding (gastric) varices. However, we need to await its use in controlled trials to determine the true added value.Conflict of interestJ.W.P. is consultant for Cook Medical. The other authors declared that they do not have anything to disclose regarding funding or conflict of interest with respect to this manuscript.Other disclosuresThe use of Hemospray™ for variceal bleeding is currently not an indicated use in the device labelling. Gastric variceal bleeding tends to be more severe (2.9 vs. 4.8 transfusion units per patient) and is associated with a higher mortality (30% vs. 45%) than bleeding from oesophageal varices [1Irani S. Kowdley K. Kozarek R. Gastric varices: an updated review of management.J Clin Gastroenterol. 2011; 45: 133-148Crossref PubMed Scopus (50) Google Scholar, 2Sarin S.K. Lahoti D. Saxena S.P. Murthy N.S. Makwana U.K. Prevalence, classification and natural history of gastric varices: a long-term follow-up study in 568 portal hypertension patients.Hepatology. 1992; 16: 1343-1349Crossref PubMed Scopus (842) Google Scholar, 3Jensen D.M. Kovacs T.O. Chavalitdhamrong D. Chapter 6: variceal bleeding: endoscopic diagnosis, endoscopic therapy, and pharmacotherapy.in: Sung J.J. Kuipers E.J. Barkun A.N. Gastrointestinal bleeding. 2 ed. Wiley-Blackwell, London2012: 97-118Crossref Scopus (1) Google Scholar]. Failure of endoscopic therapy commonly requires rescue placement of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) [[4]de Franchis R. Baveno V.F. Revising consensus in portal hypertension: report of the Baveno V consensus workshop on methodology of diagnosis and therapy in portal hypertension.J Hepatol. 2010; 53: 762-768Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1102) Google Scholar], but this option is costly and not always feasible. HemosprayTM is a novel hemostatic spray recently introduced for the management of non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding [[5]Sung J.J. Luo D. Wu J.C. Ching J.Y. Chan F.K. Lau J.Y. et al.Early clinical experience of the safety and effectiveness of Hemospray in achieving hemostasis in patients with acute peptic ulcer bleeding.Endoscopy. 2011; 43: 291-295Crossref PubMed Scopus (176) Google Scholar]. We describe the first case of variceal bleeding refractory to standard endoscopic therapy, successfully treated with HemosprayTM, obviating the need for TIPS. A 79-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with a 3-day history of melena. Her previous medical history included idiopathic myelofibrosis with hepatosplenomegaly due to extramedullary hematopoiesis. This was complicated by portal hypertension and ascites. Furthermore, she suffered from a severe hypertension-related pre-existent dilated cardiomyopathy. Previous upper endoscopy did not show the presence of varices. At presentation she had a blood pressure of 80/40 mmHg with a pulse rate of 90 bpm with peripheral cyanosis. On rectal examination, black stools were noticed. Laboratory test results showed haemoglobin 4.8 mmol/L, urea 27 mmol/L, creatinine 68 mmol/L, INR 1.4, and normal transaminases and bilirubin. In anticipation of a variceal haemorrhage, standard administration of an antibiotic (norfloxacin 400 mg twice daily) and vasopressor drugs (octreotide) was initiated. Fluid and packed cell administration was restricted to stabilize vital signs. The patient was meanwhile transferred to the intensive care unit. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed using an Olympus Q180-1T scope (Olympus, Japan). In the distal esophagus, small varices without bleeding stigmata were seen, but in the gastric fundus, a profusely bleeding varix of 8 mm (GOV2 [[2]Sarin S.K. Lahoti D. Saxena S.P. Murthy N.S. Makwana U.K. Prevalence, classification and natural history of gastric varices: a long-term follow-up study in 568 portal hypertension patients.Hepatology. 1992; 16: 1343-1349Crossref PubMed Scopus (842) Google Scholar]) was observed. Next, in three consecutive injections, a total volume of 2.6 ml HistoAcrylTM with lipiodol was injected. However, hemostasis could not be achieved and hemodynamic instability ensued. Rescue treatment with TIPS was considered, but not pursued given her cardiac condition. Instead of injecting more HistoAcrylTM, we decided to apply HemosprayTM (Cook Medical, USA). For this, we sprayed approximately 10 g of HemosprayTM covering the entire bleeding varix. Persistent hemostasis was confirmed after 5 min of visual inspection. The patient received standard post-endoscopic care and went home. No rebleeding occurred at follow-up at day 7 and 30. We did not perform a second-look endoscopy given the absence of signs of rebleeding. Gastric variceal haemorrhage is an acute life-threatening condition in which the endoscopist is challenged to act swift in a technically demanding retroflexed position. Endoscopic management involves single or multiple injection(s) of cyanoacrylate glue into the varix resulting in the formation of a polymeric plug. Despite its relative high initial hemostasis rate (87–100%) [[1]Irani S. Kowdley K. Kozarek R. Gastric varices: an updated review of management.J Clin Gastroenterol. 2011; 45: 133-148Crossref PubMed Scopus (50) Google Scholar], injection carries distinct risks. First, polymerisation of acrylate beyond the bleeding site may result in thromboembolic events [[1]Irani S. Kowdley K. Kozarek R. Gastric varices: an updated review of management.J Clin Gastroenterol. 2011; 45: 133-148Crossref PubMed Scopus (50) Google Scholar]. Second, needle obstruction frequently occurs necessitating retrieval. This means loss of precious time. Third, ulceration of the bleeding site after injection is commonly seen, and may result in secondary bleeding [[1]Irani S. Kowdley K. Kozarek R. Gastric varices: an updated review of management.J Clin Gastroenterol. 2011; 45: 133-148Crossref PubMed Scopus (50) Google Scholar]. When hemostatic treatment with cyanoacrylate glue fails, urgent TIPS is not always feasible due to local unavailability, when the patient condition is too unstable or, as in this case, when there are clear contraindications such as cardiomyopathy [[6]Colombato L. The role of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in the management of portal hypertension.J Clin Gastroenterol. 2007; 41: S344-S351Crossref PubMed Scopus (108) Google Scholar]. HemosprayTM is a novel proprietary hemostatic spray recently introduced for the management of non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Its safety and efficacy have been shown in peptic ulcer bleeding [[5]Sung J.J. Luo D. Wu J.C. Ching J.Y. Chan F.K. Lau J.Y. et al.Early clinical experience of the safety and effectiveness of Hemospray in achieving hemostasis in patients with acute peptic ulcer bleeding.Endoscopy. 2011; 43: 291-295Crossref PubMed Scopus (176) Google Scholar], as well as in cancer-related upper GI bleeding [[7]Chen Y.I. Barkun A.N. Soulellis C. Mayrand S. Ghali P. Use of the endoscopically applied hemostatic powder TC-325 in cancer-related upper GI hemorrhage: preliminary experience (with video).Gastrointest Endosc. 2012; 75: 1278-1281Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (71) Google Scholar]. Upon application, this inorganic hemostatic powder becomes cohesive and adhesive, and forms a stable mechanical barrier that covers the bleeding site. We report on the first case in literature in which HemosprayTM is successfully applied in initially failed endoscopic hemostasis of a variceal bleeding. There are few concerns that need to be addressed. HemosprayTM is applied by a CO2-propelled canister with a positive outflow pressure. Hypothetically, particles may enter the vascular system and give rise to venous thromboembolisation. However, the outflow pressure at the catheter tip is less than the known intravariceal venous pressures (often exceeding 15 mmHg) [[8]Bosch J. Abraldes J.G. Berzigotti A. Garcia-Pagan J.C. The clinical use of HVPG measurements in chronic liver disease.Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009; 6: 573-582Crossref PubMed Scopus (450) Google Scholar] at a distance of 1–2 cm from the mucosa. Also, data from an ongoing multicentre European initiative on the use of HemosprayTM for non-variceal upper GI bleeding does not report incidence of thromboembolism (unpublished data). Another concern involves the effects of HemosprayTM in coagulation. This is important since most gastric varices occur in cirrhotic patients with frequent unbalance of pro- and anti-coagulatory factors [[9]Tripodi A. Mannucci P.M. The coagulopathy of chronic liver disease.N Engl J Med. 2011; 365: 147-156Crossref PubMed Scopus (929) Google Scholar]. More studies need to be performed to elucidate this issue, but preliminary data show only minor in vitro effects of HemosprayTM on coagulation parameters [[10]Holster IL, de Maat MPM, Ducharme R, Kuipers EJ, Tjwa ETTL. In vitro examination of the effects of Hemostatic Powder (HemosprayTM) in humans on coagulation and thrombus formation. Abstract no: Sa1671. Digestive Disease Week. San Diego; 2012.Google Scholar]. In conclusion, Hemospray™ may offer a simple and welcome alternative in durably controlling bleeding (gastric) varices. However, we need to await its use in controlled trials to determine the true added value. Conflict of interestJ.W.P. is consultant for Cook Medical. The other authors declared that they do not have anything to disclose regarding funding or conflict of interest with respect to this manuscript. J.W.P. is consultant for Cook Medical. The other authors declared that they do not have anything to disclose regarding funding or conflict of interest with respect to this manuscript. Other disclosuresThe use of Hemospray™ for variceal bleeding is currently not an indicated use in the device labelling. The use of Hemospray™ for variceal bleeding is currently not an indicated use in the device labelling.