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      Evaluation and Management of Hepatic Encephalopathy: Current Status and Future Directions

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          Abstract

          Hepatic encephalopathy is a spectrum of neurocognitive manifestations often seen in patients with liver injury or rarely in patients with portosystemic shunting without liver injury. It can be divided into minimal (covert) hepatic encephalopathy and overt hepatic encephalopathy, depending on the severity. Patients with hepatic encephalopathy have compromised clinical outcomes, decreased quality of life, and increased healthcare utilization, often resulting in a heavy financial and personal burden on caregivers. The diagnosis remains largely clinical, with the exclusion of possible other causes for the altered mental status. Current treatment strategies include nonabsorbable disaccharides and antibiotics. This review will focus on the diagnosis, management and clinical impact of hepatic encephalopathy.

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          Most cited references74

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          Extracorporeal albumin dialysis with the molecular adsorbent recirculating system in acute-on-chronic liver failure: the RELIEF trial.

          Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a frequent cause of death in cirrhosis. Albumin dialysis with the molecular adsorbent recirculating system (MARS) decreases retained substances and improves hemodynamics and hepatic encephalopathy (HE). However, its survival impact is unknown. In all, 189 patients with ACLF were randomized either to MARS (n=95) or to standard therapy (SMT) (n=94). Ten patients (five per group) were excluded due to protocol violations. In addition, 23 patients (MARS: 19; SMT: 4) were excluded from per-protocol (PP) analysis (PP population n=156). Up to 10 6-8-hour MARS sessions were scheduled. The main endpoint was 28-day ITT and PP survival. There were no significant differences at inclusion, although the proportion of patients with Model for Endstage Liver Disease (MELD) score over 20 points and with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) as a precipitating event was almost significantly greater in the MARS group. The 28-day survival was similar in the two groups in the ITT and PP populations (60.7% versus 58.9%; 60% versus 59.2% respectively). After adjusting for confounders, a significant beneficial effect of MARS on survival was not observed (odds ratio [OR]: 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.44-1.72). MELD score and HE at admission and the increase in serum bilirubin at day 4 were independent predictors of death. At day 4, a greater decrease in serum creatinine (P=0.02) and bilirubin (P=0.001) and a more frequent improvement in HE (from grade II-IV to grade 0-I; 62.5% versus 38.2%; P=0.07) was observed in the MARS group. Severe adverse events were similar.
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            Hospital readmissions among patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

            Early rehospitalizations have been well characterized in many disease states, but not among patients with cirrhosis. The aims of this study were to identify the frequency, costs, predictors, and preventable causes of hospital readmissions among patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Rates of readmission were calculated for 402 patients discharged after one of the following complications of cirrhosis: ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, renal failure, hepatic encephalopathy, or variceal hemorrhage. Costs of readmissions were calculated using the hospital accounting system. Predictors of time to first readmission were determined using Cox regression, and predictors of hospitalization rate/person-years were determined using negative binomial regression. The independent association between readmission rate and mortality was determined using Cox regression. Admissions within 30 days of discharge were assessed by two reviewers to determine if preventable. Overall, 276 (69%) subjects had at least one nonelective readmission, with a median time to first readmission of 67 days. By 1 week after discharge, 14% of subjects had been readmitted, and 37% were readmitted within 1 month. The mean costs for readmissions within 1 week and between weeks 1 and 4 were $28,898 and $20,581, respectively. During a median follow-up of 203 days, the median number of readmissions was 2 (range 0-40), with an overall rate of 3 hospitalizations/person-years. Patients with more frequent readmissions had higher risk of subsequent mortality, despite adjustment for confounders including the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score. Predictors of time to first readmission included MELD score, serum sodium, and number of medications on discharge; predictors of hospitalization rate included these variables as well as the number of cirrhosis complications and being on the transplant list at discharge. Among 165 readmissions within 30 days, 22% were possibly preventable. Hospital readmissions among patients with decompensated cirrhosis are common, costly, moderately predictable, in some cases, possibly preventable, and independently associated with mortality. These findings support the development of disease management interventions to prevent rehospitalization.
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              Probiotic VSL#3 reduces liver disease severity and hospitalization in patients with cirrhosis: a randomized, controlled trial.

              Little is known about whether probiotics can affect outcomes of patients with cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy (HE). We assessed the efficacy of a probiotic preparation in preventing the recurrence of HE (primary outcome) and reducing the number of hospitalizations and severity of liver disease in patients with cirrhosis.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Gut Liver
                Gut Liver
                Gut and Liver
                Editorial Office of Gut and Liver
                1976-2283
                2005-1212
                July 2016
                15 July 2016
                : 10
                : 4
                : 509-519
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Department of Medicine, Olive View Medical Center, Sylmar, Los Angeles, CA, USA
                [2 ]Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
                [3 ]Department of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
                [4 ]Department of Surgery, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
                Author notes
                Correspondence to: Sammy Saab, Pfleger Liver Institute, UCLA Medical Center, 200 Medical Plaza, Suite 214, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA, Tel: +1-310-206-6705, Fax: +1-310-206-4197, E-mail: SSaab@ 123456mednet.ucla.edu
                Article
                gnl-10-509
                10.5009/gnl15419
                4933409
                27377741
                d9d02728-37a1-4c94-8085-9b910ebcaca0
                Copyright © 2016 by The Korean Society of Gastroenterology, the Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the Korean Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, Korean College of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research, Korean Association the Study of Intestinal Diseases, the Korean Association for the Study of the Liver, Korean Pancreatobiliary Association, and Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Cancer.

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 27 August 2015
                : 31 August 2015
                Categories
                Review

                Gastroenterology & Hepatology
                hepatic encephalopathy,liver cirrhosis,liver diseases,minimal hepatic encephalopathy

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