Hospital discharge after percutaneous liver biopsy – less is more?

Abstract

Introduction Liver biopsy is a technique frequently performed in clinical practice. However, the recommended surveillance period after the procedure is not established in the guidelines. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and patient satisfaction of hospital discharge 2 h after a percutaneous liver biopsy. Methods Prospective monocentric study which included all patients who underwent percutaneous liver biopsy between December 2020 and November 2022. Individuals were discharged 2 h after the procedure according to a protocol that was implemented in our institution. Results A total of 200 patients were included, the majority male (52.0%), with a median age of 52 years old (interquartile range (IQR) 40–60). Forty-two (21.0%) individuals had mild adverse events at the time of or within 2 h of the procedure. Most (90.4%) occurred in the first hour after the liver biopsy. Only 5 (2.5%) patients were kept under observation for 4 h due to abdominal/shoulder pain. There were no serious complications and no patient required subsequent admission. The majority of patients reported being satisfied/very satisfied (99.4%) and felt safe (98.9%) with this protocol. Most of the individuals showed a preference for early hospital discharge (97.3%). Conclusion We showed that patients requiring percutaneous liver biopsy can be safely discharged 2 h after the procedure.