Rajeshwar P Mookerjee1, Marco Pavesi2, Karen Louise Thomsen1, Gautam Mehta1, Jane Macnaughtan1, Flemming Bendtsen3, Minneke Coenraad4, Jan Sperl5, Pere Gines6, Richard Moreau7, Vicente Arroyo2, Rajiv Jalan8. 1. Liver Failure Group, UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, UCL Medical School, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom. 2. European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure (EF-CLIF) and EASL-CLIF Consortium. 3. Department of Gastroenterology, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. 4. Department of Gastroenterology-Hepatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. 5. Department of Hepatogastroenterology, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic. 6. Liver Unit, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, University de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro d'Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEReHD), Barcelona, Spain. 7. Inserm, U1149, Centre de Recherche sur l'Inflammation (CRI), Clichy and Paris, France; UMRS1149, Université Paris Diderot-Paris 7, Paris, France; Département Hospitalo-Universitaire (DHU) UNITY, Service d'Hépatologie, Hôpital Beaujon, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Clichy, France; Laboratoire d'Excellence Inflamex, PRES Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France. 8. Liver Failure Group, UCL Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, UCL Medical School, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: r.jalan@ucl.ac.uk.
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Non-selective beta blockers (NSBBs) have been shown to have deleterious outcomes in patients with refractory ascites, alcoholic hepatitis and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis leading many physicians to stop the drug in these cases. Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is characterized by systemic inflammation and high mortality. As NSBBs may have beneficial effects on gut motility and permeability and, systemic inflammation, the aims of this prospective, observational study were to determine whether ongoing use of NSBBs reduced 28-day mortality in ACLF patients. METHODS: The study was performed in 349 patients with ACLF included in the CANONIC study, which is a prospective observational investigation in hospitalized cirrhotic patients with acute deterioration. The data about the use of NSBBs, its type and dosage was specifically recorded. Patient characteristics at enrollment significantly associated with treatment and mortality were taken into account as potential confounders to adjust for treatment effect. A logistic regression model was fitted. RESULTS: 164 (47%) ACLF patients received NSBBs whereas 185 patients did not. Although the CLIF-C ACLF scores were similar at presentation, more patients in the NSBB treated group had lower grades of ACLF (p=0.047) at presentation and significantly more patients improved. Forty patients (24.4%) died in NSBB treated group compared with 63 patients (34.1%) (p=0.048) [estimated risk-reduction 0.596 (95%CI: 0.361-0.985; p=0.0436)]. This improvement in survival was associated with a significantly lower white cell count (NSBB: 8.5 (5.8); no NSBB: 10.8 (6.6); p=0.002). No long-term improvement in survival was observed. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows for the first time that ongoing treatment with NSBBs in cirrhosis is safe and reduces the mortality if they develop ACLF. Careful thought should be given before stopping NSBBs in cirrhotic patients.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Non-selective beta blockers (NSBBs) have been shown to have deleterious outcomes in patients with refractory ascites, alcoholic hepatitis and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis leading many physicians to stop the drug in these cases. Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is characterized by systemic inflammation and high mortality. As NSBBs may have beneficial effects on gut motility and permeability and, systemic inflammation, the aims of this prospective, observational study were to determine whether ongoing use of NSBBs reduced 28-day mortality in ACLF patients. METHODS: The study was performed in 349 patients with ACLF included in the CANONIC study, which is a prospective observational investigation in hospitalized cirrhotic patients with acute deterioration. The data about the use of NSBBs, its type and dosage was specifically recorded. Patient characteristics at enrollment significantly associated with treatment and mortality were taken into account as potential confounders to adjust for treatment effect. A logistic regression model was fitted. RESULTS: 164 (47%) ACLF patients received NSBBs whereas 185 patients did not. Although the CLIF-C ACLF scores were similar at presentation, more patients in the NSBB treated group had lower grades of ACLF (p=0.047) at presentation and significantly more patients improved. Forty patients (24.4%) died in NSBB treated group compared with 63 patients (34.1%) (p=0.048) [estimated risk-reduction 0.596 (95%CI: 0.361-0.985; p=0.0436)]. This improvement in survival was associated with a significantly lower white cell count (NSBB: 8.5 (5.8); no NSBB: 10.8 (6.6); p=0.002). No long-term improvement in survival was observed. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows for the first time that ongoing treatment with NSBBs in cirrhosis is safe and reduces the mortality if they develop ACLF. Careful thought should be given before stopping NSBBs in cirrhotic patients.
Authors: Kathleen E Singer; Courtney E Collins; Julie M Flahive; Allison S Wyman; M Didem Ayturk; Heena P Santry Journal: Am J Surg Date: 2017-06-24 Impact factor: 2.565