Determining the extent of quality health care for hospitalized patients with cirrhosis

Hepatitis C, stigma and cure

The infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the most important global chronic viral infections worldwide. It is estimated to affect around 3% of the world population, about 170-200 million people. Great part of the infections are asymptomatic, the patient can be a chronic carrier for decades without knowing it. The most severe consequences of the chronic infection are liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which appears in 20%-40% of the patients, leading to hepatic failure and death. The HCV was discovered 25 years ago in 1989, is a RNA virus and classified by the World Health Organization as an oncogenic one. Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most important cancers, the fifth worldwide in terms of mortality. It has been increasing in the Ocidental world, mainly due to chronic hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is not only a liver disease and a cause of cirrhosis, but also a mental, psychological, familiar, and social disease. The stigma that the infected person sometimes carries is tremendous having multiple consequences. The main cause is lack of adequate information, even in the health professionals setting. But, besides the “drama” of being infected, health professionals, family, society and the infected patients, must be aware of the chance of real cure and total and definitive elimination of the virus. The treatment for hepatitis C has begun in the last 80´s with a percentage of cure of 6%. Step by step the efficacy of the therapy for hepatitis C is rapidly increasing and nowadays with the very new medications, the so called Direct Antiviral Agents-DAAs of new generation, is around 80%-90%.

Mortality risk according to different clinical characteristics of first episode of liver decompensation in cirrhotic patients: a nationwide, prospective, 3-year follow-up study in Italy

OBJECTIVES

The occurrence of decompensation marks a crucial turning point in the course of cirrhosis. The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of mortality according to the clinical characteristics of first decompensation, considering also the impact of acute-on-chronic liver failure (AoCLF).

METHODS

We conducted a prospective nationwide inception cohort study in Italy. Decompensation was defined by the presence of ascites, either overt or detected by ultrasonography (UD), gastroesophageal variceal bleeding (GEVB), and hepatic encephalopathy (HE). AoCLF was defined according to the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver criteria. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyze the risk of failure (death or orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT)).

RESULTS

A total of 490 consecutive cirrhotic patients (314 males, mean age 60.9±12.6 years) fulfilled the study criteria. AoCLF was identified in 59 patients (12.0%). Among the remaining 431 patients, ascites were found in 330 patients (76.6%): in 257 (77.8%) as overt ascites and in 73 (22.2%) as UD ascites. GEVB was observed in 77 patients (17.9%) and HE in 30 patients (7.0%). After a median follow-up of 33 months, 24 patients underwent OLT and 125 died. The cumulative incidence of failure (death or OLT) after 1, 2, and 3 years was, respectively, 28, 53, and 62% in patients with AoCLF; 10, 18, and 25% in patients with UD ascites; 17, 31, and 41% in patients with overt ascites; and 8, 12, and 24% in patients with GEVB (P<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

AoCLF is responsible for a relevant proportion of first decompensation in cirrhotic patients and is associated with the poorest outcome. Patients with UD ascites do not have a negligible mortality rate and require clinical monitoring similar to that of patients with overt ascites.

Deleterious effect of cirrhosis on outcomes after motor vehicle crashes using the nationwide inpatient sample

OBJECTIVES

Alcohol abuse and minimal hepatic encephalopathy may predispose cirrhotics to a higher motor vehicle crash (MVC) rate. Cirrhotics have poor post-trauma outcomes on small-scale studies. The aim was to examine the effect of cirrhosis on mortality, charges, and length of stay (LOS) after MVCs using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) 2004.

METHODS

NIS 2004 was queried for cirrhotics with MVC (C-MVC), cirrhotics only, and MVC only for demographics, comorbidities, hospital characteristics, and the Injury Severity Score (ISS). C-MVC patients were compared with the other groups. Weighted uni/multivariate regression was performed for all MVCs (with/without cirrhosis).

RESULTS

There were 560,080 discharges for cirrhosis only, 262,244 for MVC only, and 1,565 for C-MVC. C-MVC patients were significantly younger (49.8 yr vs 58.6 yr, P < 0.0005) and had less comorbidities than cirrhosis only, but had similar mortality (C-MVC 10.8% vs cirrhosis only 9.9%, P= 0.23). C-MVC patients (49.8 yr) were older than MVC only patients (43.7 yr, P < 0.0005). C-MVC patients also had significantly higher mortality (10.8%) compared with MVC only (3.1%, P < 0.0005) despite similar ISS. C-MVC patients had significantly greater LOS (9.6 days) and charges ($67,119) compared with both MVC only (6.2 days, $43,314) and cirrhosis only (7.4 days, $35,522). Cirrhosis (odds ratio [OR] 3.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.5-5.5) and age >65 yr (OR 5.2, 95% CI 4.4-6.0) were most commonly associated with mortality. Male sex, high ISS, self-pay, teaching, and large and urban hospitals were also significantly associated with mortality. On multivariate regression, cirrhosis was associated with greater charges and LOS.

CONCLUSION

Cirrhosis is associated with greater mortality, LOS, and charges after MVC despite controlling for injury severity, comorbidities, and age in NIS 2004.