Optimizing Outpatient Care: Clinical Strategies for Managing Hepatic Encephalopathy in Primary Practice

Pamela Kushner, MD, FAAFP; Nancy Reau, MD; Arun B. Jesudian, MD, and Kimberly Brown, MD, discuss the impact of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) on patients and their families, as well as strategies for improving patient outcomes.

Medical experts emphasize the importance of educating primary care clinicians about the outpatient management of hepatic encephalopathy, a common complication of portal hypertension, and highlight the crucial role of ammonia testing in effectively managing the disease.

The expert panelists explore the symptoms and risk factors associated with HE, the challenges in diagnosing the condition due to its resemblance to neuropsychiatric l disorders, and the methods used to assess and grade the severity of the disease.

The panel examines the evolving role of primary care clinicians in managing patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and emphasizes the importance of consulting specialists when necessary, providing insights from the perspective of a primary care clinician.

Arun B. Jesudian, MD, discusses strategies to prevent the progression of cirrhosis, which include targeting microbiome abnormalities to improve the gut-liver axis, enhancing circulatory function, treating the inflammatory state, and addressing portal hypertension.

Kimberly Brown, MD, explains the role of the gut microbiota in the development of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and describes the common alterations to the microbiota that occur because of chronic liver disease.

Nancy Reau, MD, leads a discussion on the current abnormality-targeting agents used to prevent and treat hepatic encephalopathy (HE) by addressing the gut-liver axis, specifically focusing on lactulose or lactitol and rifaximin, while also explaining their mechanisms of action and adverse event profiles.

The panel reviews the current American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) guideline recommendations for treating patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE), and they also discuss the role of rifaximin, its ability to be prescribed by primary care clinicians, and its safety profile.

The expert panel on hepatic encephalopathy (HE) presents clinical recommendations for managing patients with recurrent or episodic HE in the outpatient setting.

Medical experts discuss the management of patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) receiving lactulose and rifaximin therapy and develop diarrhea or a urinary tract infection (UTI) in the outpatient setting.