Hepatology

1. A Model to Predict Poor Survival in Patients Undergoing Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunts (2000)

    • Where does the MELD come from?

5a. Peritoneovenous shunting as compared with medical treatment in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and massive ascites (1989)

    • Does TIPS improve ascites accumulation in patients refractory to medical therapy?

2a. Non-absorbable disaccharides for hepatic encephalopathy: systematic review of randomised trials (2004)

    • Are non-absorbable disaccharides useful in the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy?

5b. The Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Stent-Shunt Procedure for Refractory Ascites (1995)

    • Does TIPS for medically-refractory ascites improve mortality?

2b. Lactulose vs Polyethylene Glycol 3350-Electrolyte Solution for Treatment of Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy: The HELP Randomized Clinical Trial (2014)

    • Is PEG-3350 (aka Miralax) non-inferior to lactulose for the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy?

5c. Randomised trial of transjugular-intrahepatic-portosystemic shunt versus endoscopy plus propranolol for prevention of variceal rebleeding (1997)

    • Does TIPS reduce rates of variceal bleeding?

    • Does TIPS in patients with variceal bleeding reduce mortality?

3a. Randomized comparative study of therapeutic paracentesis with and without intravenous albumin in cirrhosis (1988)

    • Does intravenous albumin after paracentesis actually improve outcomes?

5d. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt compared with endoscopic treatment for prevention of variceal rebleeding: A meta-analysis (1999)

    • Does TIPS in patients with variceal bleeding reduce rates of variceal re-bleeding?

    • Does TIPS in patients with variceal bleeding reduce mortality?

    • Does TIPS in patients with variceal bleeding affect the subsequent rate of hepatic encephalopathy?

3b. Total paracentesis associated with intravenous albumin management of patients with cirrhosis and ascites (1990)

    • How should albumin be administered after a large-volume paracentesis?

6. Systematic review: glucocorticosteroids for alcoholic hepatitis–a Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group systematic review with meta-analyses and trial sequential analyses of randomized clinical trials. (2008)

    • Do glucocorticoids improve survival in patients with alcoholic hepatitis?

3c. Cardiovascular, renal and neurohumoral responses to single large-volume paracentesis in cirrhotic patients with diuretic-resistant ascites (1997)

    • How much ascites can be removed before a patient should receive intravenous albumin to prevent hemodynamic changes?

7. Deleterious Effects of Beta-Blockers on Survival in Patients With Cirrhosis and Refractory Ascites (2010)

    • Do beta blockers affect mortality in patients with refractory ascites?

4a. Effect of intravenous albumin on renal impairment and mortality in patients with cirrhosis and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (1999)

    • In patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, do antibiotics + albumin reduce mortality when compared to antibiotics alone?


4b. The Effect of Ciprofloxacin in the Prevention of Bacterial Infection in Patients with Cirrhosis After Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding (1998)

    • Do antibiotics decrease mortality in patients with cirrhosis who experience gastrointestinal bleeding?


4c. Antibiotic prophylaxis for the prevention of bacterial infections in cirrhotic patients with gastrointestinal bleeding: a meta-analysis (1999)

    • Do antibiotics in patients with cirrhosis and history of gastrointestinal bleeding improve survival?