Portal HTN/Chronic Liver Failure/Last Nichols Flashcards
Liver Blood Flow
- 30% Hepatic Artery
- 70% Portal Vein (Splenic & Splanchnic)
Pressure=
flow x resistance
- cirrhosis
- fibrosis w/distortion of vasculature
- sinusoids to capillaries
- inc. blood flow to stomach & intestines
Portal HTN
- venous collaterals form from distal esophagus to rectum
- anterior collaterals via umbilical vein
- posterior collaterals via retroperitoneal vains, splenorenal shunts
Varices
- tortuous venous collaterals under high pressure (high pressure bleeding)
- 50% of newly diagnosed cirrhotics
- inc. up to 8%/year
- 32% bleed within 2 years
- major cause of death
- thrombocytopenia
- coagulopathy (synthetic impairment of clotting factors)
Treatment of Portal Vein HTN
- volume resuscitation
- correction of coagulopathy
- splanchnic vasoconstriction
- dec. blood flow to stomach and intestines
- dec. blood flow via collaterals
- Vasopression
- Somatostatin (block vasodilators)
Natural History of Variceal Hemorrhage
- mortality 42% in 6 weeks
- 60% of early deaths due to bleeding
- approximately 1/3 of patients had rebleeding within 6 weeks
- 1 year survival 34%
Treatment of Variceal Hemorrhage
- endoscopic therapy to sclerose or band the varices
- decrease portal pressure (beta blockers, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, liver transplantation, surgical portosystemic shunt)
Child Pugh Classification
- albumin
- prothrombin time
- bilirubin
- ascites
- encephalopathy
- Child A, B, C
Ascites
- inc. resistance to portal venous flow
- inc. flow to portal vein
- inc. lymphatic flow
- leakage of lymphatic flow from liver and intestines
- inc. Portosystemic shunting of vasodilators
- Systemic vasodilation
- dec. renal perfusion
- inc. renal vasoconstriction
- inc. Renin-Angiotension activity
- Inc. Sodium reabsorption
Ascites Causes?
- decreased renal clearance
- severe liver disease is associated with sodium retention & decreased creatinine clearance
- Hep C can also cause renal disease
Why is Ascites important?
- tense ascites, pressure on diaphragms & stomach, difficulty breathing and eating
- hepatic hydrothorax
- spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis
- large amount of undrained fluid
- low protein ascites
- low complement
- bacterial translocation from intestines to blood
- transient bacteremia infects the ascites
Treatment of Ascites
- sodium restriction
- diuretics
- treat the liver disease
- large volume paracentesis
- correct the portal HTN
- transugular portosystemic shunt
- surgical portosystemic shunt
- liver transplantation
Portal HTN causes?
life threatening complications
Chronic Liver Failure (TYPES)
- hepatic encephalopathy
- hepatorenal syndrome
- IgA nephropathy
- other renal complications with liver disease
Hepatic Encephalopathy
-acute liver failure
-portosystemic shunt without liver failure
-chronic liver failure:
precipitated
spontaneous
recurrent
Mechanisms of Hepatic Encephalopathy
- ammonia, nitrogenous wastes
- inc. intracellular gluatamine
- astrocyte swelling, Cerebral edema
- Inflammatory cytokines alter blood-brain barrier
- Inc. Benzodiazepine receptors
- inc. Neurosteroids, inc. GABA receptor activity
- Manganese - neurotoxin which deposits in basal ganglia
Acute Hepatic Encephalopathy
- acute liver failure: coagulopathy and altered mental status within 2 weeks of jaundice
- alteration of BBB
- associated with acute cerebral edema
- cerebral edema results in cerebral herniation
- major cause of death from acute liver injury
Chronic Hepatic Encephalopathy
- slow & subtle onset
- often noticed by family members
- milder symptoms frequently missed by coworkers or physicians
Stages of hepatic encephalopathy
- Grade I: irritability, insomnia, agitation
- Grade II: indifferent, personality change, short term memory impairment, mildly disoriented about time or place
- Grade III: drowsy but arousable, significantly confused & disorented to time & place
- Grade IV: coma
Physical Exam for Hepatic Encephalopathy
- neuro exam
- alert, orientation to time, place, date, President’s name, family members Bday, maiden names
- Asterixis: hyperextend wrists and observe for repetitive movement “flap”, inability to perform sustained grip of hand
- myoclonus: with hyperrextension of ankles
- absence of sensory, motor or cerebellar deficit to suggest another etiology for altered mentation
- absence of autonomic hyperactivity, tachycarida, HTN
- absence of sensory, motor or cerebellar deficit to suggest another etiology for altered mentation
Chronic Hepatic Encephalopathy Outcome
- generally reversible with treatment
- with long standing chronic hepatic encephalopathy: permanent brain damage can occur
- mild decrease in mentation, calculation
- rarely results in irreversible dementia
- rarely permanent movement disorders
Treatment for Hepatic Encephalopathy
Treat the precipitating conditions:
- Hypovolemia: correct causes-diuretics, medications which caused excessive diarrhea
- Hypokalemia
- GI bleeding
- Prescribed medications, sedatives, substance abuse
- Infection: evaluate for common systemic infections, meningitis
- Exclude intracranial hemorrhage, falls with thrombocytopenia, coagulopathy (inc. INR)
Treatment for Hepatic Encephalopathy: Lactulose
- poorly absorbable sugar
- cathartic
- decreased intestinal pH
- decreases glutamine absorption
- reduces synthesis & absorption of NH3
Treatment for Hepatic Encephalopathy: Zinc Sulfate
- zinc is cofactor in NH3 metabolism, zinc deficiency is common in liver disease
- correction of zinc deficiency is part of the treatment of encephalopathy
Treatment for Hepatic Encephalopathy: antibiotics
- alter intestinal flora
- decreased NH3
- decrease intestinal mucosal glutaminase
- decrease coliform bacterial which produce urease and convert urea to NH3
Mechanisms of Treatment for Hepatic Encephalopathy
- nutrition improves the underlying liver disease
- skeletal muscle metabolizes NH3
- malnutrition is common in liver patients
- protein restriction is not helpful
- high vegetable proteins with increased branched chain amino acids advised
Nutrition & Hepatic Encephalopathy
- protein restriction was not recommended in 1963
- it should not be part of orders today
Renal Complications associated with Liver Disease
- hepatorenal syndrome
- IgA nephropathy
- membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis
- membranous glomerulonephritis
Hepatorenal Syndrome
- most feared complications of acute liver failure or cirrhosis
- liver failure cause renal arterial vasoconstriction and renal failure
- not associated with underlying renal parenchymal abnormality
- generally reversed with correction of liver failure such as with transplantation
Hepatorenal Syndrome: What Happens?
- cirrhosis & ascites
- serum creatinine >1.5mg/dL
- no imporvement (decrease 500mg protein per day)
Diagnosis of Hepatorenal Syndrome
- exclusion
- lack of return of renal function with intravascular volume repletion