EM GI

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Previous studies and systematic reviews have not provided conclusive evidence on the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in non-acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure (NAI-ALF). We aimed to study the value of intravenous NAC in reducing liver transplantation and mortality in NAI-ALF. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective, multicenter, observational study, acute liver failure patients without clinical or historical evidence of acetaminophen overdose were enrolled...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare but severe medical emergency. To date, there is no established treatment for non-acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure (NAI-ALF) other than liver transplantation, and little is known about the use of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in NAI-ALF. A randomized case control study was conducted with the aim to determine the effect of NAC on the mortality of NAI-ALF patients, as well as to evaluate the safety and efficacy of NAC use. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 80 patients diagnosed with NAI-ALF were included in the study...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review recent literature on the management of patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) admitted to an ICU. RECENT FINDINGS: SAP is a devastating disease associated with a high morbidity and mortality. Recent evidence advocates adequate risk assessment and severity prediction (including intra-abdominal pressure monitoring), tailored fluid administration favoring balanced crystalloids, withholding prophylactic antibiotic therapy, and early detection and treatment of extra-pancreatic and fungal infections...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review describes the current intensive care management of acute liver failure (ALF) and the latest evidence for emerging therapies. RECENT FINDINGS: Mortality from ALF continues to improve and in some cases, medical therapy can negate the need for liver transplantation because of protocolized management in specialist centres. Liver transplantation remains the cornerstone of management for poor prognosis ALF. The reduced use of blood products in ALF reflects growing evidence of balanced haemostasis in severe liver disease...

INTRODUCTION: Acute liver failure (ALF) remains a high-risk clinical presentation, and many patients require emergency department (ED) management for complications and stabilization. OBJECTIVE: This narrative review provides an evidence-based summary of the current data for the emergency medicine evaluation and management of ALF. DISCUSSION: While ALF remains a rare clinical presentation, surveillance data suggest an overall incidence between 1 and 6 cases per million people every year, accounting for 6% of liver-related deaths and 7% of orthotopic liver transplants (OLT) in the U...

BACKGROUND: Cirrhosis is a significant cause of death in the U.S. and has a variety of causes, most commonly Hepatitis C and alcohol. Liver fibrosis and nodule formation result in significant complications due to portal system hypertension. There are several deadly complications emergency physicians must consider. OBJECTIVE OF THE REVIEW: Provide an evidence-based update for the resuscitation of decompensating cirrhotic patients and an overview of cirrhosis complications...

BACKGROUND: Assessing the likelihood of a variceal versus nonvariceal source of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) guides therapy, but can be difficult to determine on clinical grounds. The objective of this study was to determine if there are easily ascertainable clinical and laboratory findings that can identify a patient as low risk for a variceal source of hemorrhage. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of adult ED patients with UGIB between January 2008 and December 2014 who had upper endoscopy performed during hospitalization...

BACKGROUND: Antibiotics are advised in most guidelines on acute diverticulitis, despite a lack of evidence to support their routine use. This trial compared the effectiveness of a strategy with or without antibiotics for a first episode of uncomplicated acute diverticulitis. METHODS: Patients with CT-proven, primary, left-sided, uncomplicated, acute diverticulitis were included at 22 clinical sites in the Netherlands, and assigned randomly to an observational or antibiotic treatment strategy...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Transfusion thresholds for acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding are controversial. So far, only three small, underpowered studies and one single-centre trial have been done. Findings from the single-centre trial showed reduced mortality with restrictive red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. We aimed to assess whether a multicentre, cluster randomised trial is a feasible method to substantiate or refute this finding. METHODS: In this pragmatic, open-label, cluster randomised feasibility trial, done in six university hospitals in the UK, we enrolled all patients aged 18 years or older with new presentations of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding, irrespective of comorbidity, except for exsanguinating haemorrhage...

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BACKGROUND: It is generally accepted that patients following an episode of diverticulitis should have additional colonoscopy screening to rule out a colorectal malignancy. We aimed to investigate the rate of CRC found by colonoscopy after an attack of uncomplicated diverticulitis. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched systematically for clinical trials or observational studies on colonic evaluation by colonoscopy after the initial diagnosis of acute uncomplicated diverticulitis, followed by hand-searching of reference lists...

IMPORTANCE: Diverticulitis is a common disease. Recent changes in understanding its natural history have substantially modified treatment paradigms. OBJECTIVE: To review the etiology and natural history of diverticulitis and recent changes in treatment guidelines. EVIDENCE REVIEW: We searched the MEDLINE and Cochrane databases for English-language articles pertaining to diagnosis and management of diverticulitis published between January 1, 2000, and March 31, 2013...

OBJECTIVES: Acute mesenteric ischemia is an infrequent cause of abdominal pain in emergency department (ED) patients; however, mortality for this condition is high. Rapid diagnosis and surgery are key to survival, but presenting signs are often vague or variable, and there is no pathognomonic laboratory screening test. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the available literature was performed to determine diagnostic test characteristics of patient symptoms, objective signs, laboratory studies, and diagnostic modalities to help rule in or out the diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia in the ED...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: The hemoglobin threshold for transfusion of red cells in patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding is controversial. We compared the efficacy and safety of a restrictive transfusion strategy with those of a liberal transfusion strategy. METHODS: We enrolled 921 patients with severe acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding and randomly assigned 461 of them to a restrictive strategy (transfusion when the hemoglobin level fell below 7 g per deciliter) and 460 to a liberal strategy (transfusion when the hemoglobin fell below 9 g per deciliter)...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Measurement of serum lactate remains the most frequently applied laboratory investigation to diagnose acute mesenteric (intestinal) ischemia. The present review aims at critically questioning the widespread measurement of serum lactate to diagnose acute mesenteric ischemia in clinical practice and at drawing attention to more novel markers of intestinal ischemia. METHODS: An electronic search of multiple databases was performed with the key words 'lactate', 'marker', 'mesenteric', 'intestinal' and 'ischemia' to detect all relevant studies...

Bleeding from gastroesophageal varices is a frequent complication of cirrhosis. Mortality from a variceal bleeding episode has decreased in the last 2 decades from 40% to 15 to 20% due to the implementation of effective treatments and improvement in the general medical care. Initial treatment should include adequate fluid resuscitation and transfusion to maintain hemoglobin around 7 to 8 g/dL, and prophylactic antibiotics (norfloxacin or ceftriaxone). It is currently recommended that a vasoactive drug be started as soon as variceal bleeding is suspected...