Cirrhosis/Liver Failure News

A fixed-dose combination of Sovaldi and velpatasvir with or without ribavirin yielded sustained virologic response rates greater than 80% in patients with hepatitis C virus infection and decompensated cirrhosis.

SAN FRANCISCO — A 28-day oral course of therapy with emricasan, a pan-caspase inhibitor, reduced portal pressure in patients with compensated cirrhosis and portal hypertension, according to Late Breaker data presented at The Liver Meeting 2015.

A majority of patients with cirrhosis who underwent nucleotide analog therapy for hepatitis B virus infection also experienced regression of pre-existing esophageal varices. Those who did not have esophageal varices had a lower risk for developing them de novo.

A new algorithm quantified Child-Turcotte-Pugh scores from administrative databases, appearing to be a useful predictor for survival among patients with cirrhosis.

A recent review article detailed the potential harms associated with use of proton pump inhibitors, concluding that physicians should follow Health Canada’s recommendations that the drugs “should be prescribed at the lowest dose and shortest duration of therapy appropriate to the condition being treated.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Researchers from Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia identified risk factors for inpatient mortality from gastric variceal bleeding, according to a poster presentation at The Liver Meeting 2015.

SAN FRANCISCO — Sixty percent of patients who reached SVR after treatment for hepatitis C virus infection demonstrated improvement in fibrosis or cirrhosis, according to findings presented at The Liver Meeting 2015.

SAN FRANCISCO — Elbasvir/grazoprevir effectively treated both experienced and naive patients with compensated cirrhosis, with an integrated analysis presented at The Liver Meeting 2015 putting forward that treatment-experienced patients may benefit from a longer treatment duration with ribavirin.

SAN FRANCISCO — In a pilot study, researchers found that midodrine and a combination of midodrine and tolvaptan plus standard medical therapy improves the control of ascites and other systemic hemodynamics among patients with cirrhosis, according to a poster presentation at The Liver Meeting 2015.

SAN FRANCISCO — Risk of readmission within 30 days of discharge lowered by 60% in patients with decompensated cirrhosis who underwent an educational discharge procedure, but lack of commitment from an institution can hinder success, according to a presentation at The Liver Meeting 2015.