Lactulose vs polyethylene glycol 3350--electrolyte solution for treatment of overt hepatic encephalopathy: the HELP randomized clinical trial.
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ABSTRACT: IMPORTANCE:Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common cause of hospitalization in patients with cirrhosis. Pharmacologic treatment for acute (overt) HE has remained the same for decades. OBJECTIVE:To compare polyethylene glycol 3350-electrolyte solution (PEG) and lactulose treatments in patients with cirrhosis admitted to the hospital for HE. We hypothesized that rapid catharsis of the gut using PEG may resolve HE more effectively than lactulose. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:The HELP (Hepatic Encephalopathy: Lactulose vs Polyethylene Glycol 3350-Electrolyte Solution) study is a randomized clinical trial in an academic tertiary hospital of 50 patients with cirrhosis (of 186 screened) admitted for HE. INTERVENTIONS:Participants were block randomized to receive treatment with PEG, 4-L dose (n?=?25), or standard-of-care lactulose (n?=?25) during hospitalization. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:The primary end point was an improvement of 1 or more in HE grade at 24 hours, determined using the hepatic encephalopathy scoring algorithm (HESA), ranging from 0 (normal clinical and neuropsychological assessments) to 4 (coma). Secondary outcomes included time to HE resolution and overall length of stay. RESULTS:A total of 25 patients were randomized to each treatment arm. Baseline clinical features at admission were similar in the groups. Thirteen of 25 patients in the standard therapy arm (52%) had an improvement of 1 or more in HESA score, thus meeting the primary outcome measure, compared with 21 of 23 evaluated patients receiving PEG (91%) (P?
SUBMITTER: Rahimi RS
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5609454 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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