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Coagulation in cirrhosis involves a complex imbalance between procoagulant and anticoagulant factors due to liver dysfunction. This results in a delicate hemostatic equilibrium that increases the risk of both bleeding and thrombosis. To analyze the occurrence of thromboembolic events in a prospective series of patients with liver cirrhosis, and to assess patients' characteristics. We prospectively enrolled 188 patients with cirrhosis admitted to our gastrointestinal ward (December 2021-December 2022). We evaluated general and liver disease-related characteristics as well as the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE), and death during the first year following hospital admission. Median age was 63 years, and 72.9% were males. The primary cause of hospitalization was acute decompensation (n=101, 53.7%), followed by hepatocellular carcinoma (n=34, 18.1%) or liver-related elective diagnostic-therapeutic procedures (28, 14.9%). Twenty-five (13.3%) patients were admitted due to non-liver related events. The median length of hospitalization was 9 days (IQR 5-14). Most of patients had decompensated cirrhosis (Child-Pugh B: 41.5%; Child-Pugh C: 26.6%), with median MELD-Na=14, and clinically significant portal-hypertension (CSPH) in 148 (78.7%). Sixty-two (32.9%) patients had hepatocellular carcinoma. Thirty-one patients (16.5%) were on anticoagulants. During a 1-year follow-up, three (1.6%) patients experienced VTE while 26 (13.8%) patients had variceal bleeding. Overall mortality was 42.0% (n=79). Padua and Improve-VTE risk scores, MELD-Na, Child-Pugh class, and presence of CSPH were no different between patients with or without VTE. A competitive-risk model focused on experiencing VTE and risk of death and bleeding as competing events showed no significant association between VTE and use of anticoagulant, Charlson comorbidity index, CSPH, male gender, HCC, length of hospitalization and Improve-VTE, Padua and MELD-Na scores. VTE is a rare event in patients with cirrhosis, occurring in only 1.6% of prospectively evaluated population, and no significant association between VTE and various risk factors was identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly prescribed for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or prophylaxis of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and aspirin-induced gastric damage. However, their prolonged use in cirrhotic patients has been linked to complications like spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) and hepatic encephalopathy (EE). To evaluate the appropriateness of PPI therapy in patients with cirrhosis. We reviewed medical records of 209 cirrhotic patients admitted to our gastrointestinal ward (December 2021-December 2022). Demographics, clinical characteristics, PPI use indications, and incidence of EE and SBP were assessed. The median age was 69 years, and 74.4% were males. Main reasons for hospitalization were hepatocellular carcinoma (n=63, 28.7%), elective diagnostic-therapeutic procedures (n=63, 28.7%), non-liver-related events (n=54, 24.7%), and acute decompensation (n=39, 17.7%). Etiology of liver disease was alcohol in 91 patients (41.6%), virus-related in 77 (35.1%), and metabolic-associated in 30 (13.7%). The median MELD-Na score was 10 (8-14). At admission, 145 patients (66.2%) were on PPIs: of these, 42 patients (29.0%) had confirmed GERD, 12 (8.3%) had esophagitis ≥grade B, and 27 (18.6%) were on aspirin with bleeding risk-factors. Overall, inappropriate PPI use was observed in 74 patients (44.1%). Patients on PPIs were older, with higher MELD-Na and creatinine, and lower hemoglobin and Na compared to those not on PPIs (p<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that PPI use was independently associated with older age (OR 1.03, IC95% 1.01-1.07) and lower hemoglobin (OR 0.82, IC95% 0.70-0.97). During a median follow-up of 18 months, the incidence of EE and SBP did not differ between PPI users and non-users. A significant proportion of patients with cirrhosis is inappropriately prescribed PPIs. Although this did not correlate with major liver-related events in the short term, proper PPI prescription education is crucial to prevent potential long-term consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Obeticholic acid (OCA) is the only licensed second-line therapy for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). With novel therapeutics in advanced development, clinical tools are needed to tailor the treatment algorithm. We aimed to derive and externally validate the OCA response score (ORS) for predicting the response probability of individuals with PBC to OCA., Methods: We used data from the Italian RECAPITULATE (N = 441) and the IBER-PBC (N = 244) OCA real-world prospective cohorts to derive/validate a score including widely available variables obtained either pre-treatment (ORS) or also after 6 months of treatment (ORS+). Multivariable Cox regressions with backward selection were applied to obtain parsimonious predictive models. The predicted outcomes were biochemical response according to POISE (alkaline phosphatase [ALP]/upper limit of normal [ULN]<1.67 with a reduction of at least 15%, and normal bilirubin), or ALP/ULN<1.67, or normal range criteria (NR: normal ALP, alanine aminotransferase [ALT], and bilirubin) up to 24 months., Results: Depending on the response criteria, ORS included age, pruritus, cirrhosis, ALP/ULN, ALT/ULN, GGT/ULN, and bilirubin. ORS+ also included ALP/ULN and bilirubin after 6 months of OCA therapy. Internally validated c-statistics for ORS were 0.75, 0.78, and 0.72 for POISE, ALP/ULN<1.67, and NR response, which raised to 0.83, 0.88, and 0.81 with ORS+, respectively. The respective performances in validation were 0.70, 0.72, and 0.71 for ORS and 0.80, 0.84, and 0.78 for ORS+. Results were consistent across groups with mild/severe disease., Conclusions: We developed and externally validated a scoring system capable to predict OCA response according to different criteria. This tool will enhance a stratified second-line therapy model to streamline standard care and trial delivery in PBC., (Copyright © 2024 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Safety and outcome of atezolizumab/bevacizumab in Child-Pugh B patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not been completely characterized., Objectives: In this study, we aimed at addressing safety and efficacy of atezolizumab/bevacizumab in Child-Pugh B patients by reviewing the available data and analyzing them by meta-analysis., Methods: We compared the safety and efficacy of atezolizumab/becavizumab treatment in patients with unresectable HCC and various degrees of liver dysfunction. A total of 8 retrospective, non-randomized, cohort studies were included in this meta-analysis, for a total of 1,071 Child-Pugh A and 225 Child-Pugh B patients. The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade was also used to assess liver function, when available., Results: Grade ≥3 adverse events were observed in 11.8% of Child-Pugh class A and 26.8% class B patients ( p = 0.0001), with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.43 (confidence interval [CI] 0.21-0.90; p = 0.02). Progression-free survival (PFS) at both 6 months (4.90 ± 2.08 vs. 4.75 ± 2.08 months; p = 0.0004) and 12 months (8.83 ± 2.32 vs. 7.26 ± 2.33 months; p = 0.002) was lower in Child-Pugh class B patients. A trend toward a higher objective response rate (ORR) was observed in Child-Pugh class A patients (219/856, 25.6%) as compared to Child-Pugh class B patients (25/138, 18.1%; p = 0.070), while the probability of obtaining an ORR was significantly greater in Child-Pugh A patients (OR 1.79, CI 1.12-2.86; p = 0.02). Median overall survival (OS) was 16.8 ± 2.0 and 6.8 ± 3.2 months in Child-Pugh A and B patients, respectively (mean difference 9.06 months, CI 7.01-11.1, p < 0.0001). Lastly, OS was longer in patients with ALBI grades 1-2 than in those with grade 3 (8.3 ± 11.4 vs. 3.3 ± 5.0 months, p = 0.0008)., Conclusions: Oncological efficacy of atezolizumab/bevacizumab is moderate in Child-Pugh class B patients, and the shorter PFS and OS associated with the greater likelihood of experiencing treatment-related adverse events observed in these patients suggest great caution and individualization of treatment, possibly with the support of the ALBI grade., Competing Interests: Edoardo G. Giannini has participated in consulting and/or advisory boards for Roche, AstraZeneca, Eisai, MSD. Mario Strazzabosco is an advisor for ENGITIX., (© 2023 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objective: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a rare chronic autoimmune cholangiopathy, characterized by a variable course and response to treatment. We aimed to describe long-term outcomes of PBC patients referred to three academic centres in Northwest Italy., Methods: This is an ambispective cohort study of PBC patients (retrospective component: diagnosis before 1 January 2019; prospective component: thereafter), including 302 patients: 101 (33%) followed up in Novara, 86 (28%) in Turin, 115 (38%) in Genoa. Clinical features at diagnosis, biochemical response to therapy and survival were analyzed., Results: Among the 302 patients (88% women, median age 55 years, median follow-up 75 months), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels significantly decreased during treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA, P < 0.0001) and obeticholic acid (P < 0.0001). At multivariate analysis, ALP at diagnosis was predictive of 1-year biochemical response to UDCA [odds ratio 3.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-9, P < 0.001]. Estimated median survival free of liver transplantation and hepatic complications was 30 years (95% CI 19-41). Bilirubin level at diagnosis was the only independent risk factor for the combined outcome of death, transplantation or hepatic decompensation (hazard ratio, 1.65, 95% CI 1.66-2.56, P = 0.02). Patients presenting with total bilirubin at diagnosis ≥0.6 times the upper normal limit (ULN) had a significantly lower 10-year survival compared to those with bilirubin <0.6 times ULN (63% vs. 97%, P < 0.0001)., Conclusion: In PBC, both short-term response to UDCA and long-term survival can be predicted by simple conventional biomarkers of disease severity, obtained at diagnosis., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background & Aims: Patients with cirrhosis are considered in a haemostatic balance, though weaker than in normal subjects. In these patients, however, the use of pharmacological prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains controversial. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of VTE prophylaxis in patients with cirrhosis., Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies reporting the occurrence of bleeding and VTE events in patients with cirrhosis, and controls, undergoing VTE prophylaxis. Meta-regression analysis was conducted to further explore the determinants of heterogeneity in the study of the occurrence of either bleeding or VTE events., Results: In a total of 10 studies, including 5712 patients, of which 2330 undergoing VTE prophylaxis, bleeding (n = 5513) and VTE events occurred in 8.2% and 2.8% patients respectively. A total of 2963 and 3162 patients were included from low-risk of bias studies in bleeding and VTE analysis respectively: while administration of VTE prophylaxis did not seem to reduce VTE (OR = 1.07, CI 0.39-2.96, p = .89), importantly prophylaxis was not associated with increased bleeding risk (OR = 0.56, CI 0.20-1.59, p = .27). Meta-regression analysis showed that no parameter significantly influenced the heterogeneity of data regarding bleeding or VTE events., Conclusions: In patients with cirrhosis, current evidence is insufficient to advise for or against the use of VTE prophylaxis, mainly due to lack of quality and homogeneity of available data. However, its use does not appear to be associated with a significant bleeding risk. Adequately designed studies are required to provide a measure of its overall utility., (© 2023 The Authors. Liver International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) affects the survival and quality of life of patients with cirrhosis. However, longitudinal data on the clinical course after hospitalization for HE are lacking. The aim was to estimate mortality and risk for hospital readmission of cirrhotic patients hospitalized for HE., Methods: We prospectively enrolled 112 consecutive cirrhotic patients hospitalized for HE (HE group) at 25 Italian referral centers. A cohort of 256 patients hospitalized for decompensated cirrhosis without HE served as controls (no HE group). After hospitalization for HE, patients were followed-up for 12 months until death or liver transplant (LT)., Results: During follow-up, 34 patients (30.4%) died and 15 patients (13.4%) underwent LT in the HE group, while 60 patients (23.4%) died and 50 patients (19.5%) underwent LT in the no HE group. In the whole cohort, age (HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.06), HE (HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.08-2.56), ascites (HR 2.56, 95% CI 1.55-4.23), and sodium levels (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.90-0.99) were significant risk factors for mortality. In the HE group, ascites (HR 5.07, 95% CI 1.39-18.49) and BMI (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.75-0.98) were risk factors for mortality, and HE recurrence was the first cause of hospital readmission., Conclusion: In patients hospitalized for decompensated cirrhosis, HE is an independent risk factor for mortality and the most common cause of hospital readmission compared with other decompensation events. Patients hospitalized for HE should be evaluated as candidates for LT., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Riggio, Celsa, Calvaruso, Merli, Caraceni, Montagnese, Mora, Milana, Saracco, Raimondo, Benedetti, Burra, Sacco, Persico, Schepis, Villa, Colecchia, Fagiuoli, Pirisi, Barone, Azzaroli, Soardo, Russello, Morisco, Labanca, Fracanzani, Pietrangelo, Di Maria, Nardelli, Ridola, Gasbarrini and Cammà.)

Background: Since liver fibrosis is one of the most accurate predictors of prognosis in hepatopatic patients, its accurate assessment and staging is a major public health issue. Transient elastography (TE) (Fibroscan, Echosens, Paris, France) and shear wave elastography (SWE) represent the gold standard techniques among non-invasive methods to assess liver fibrosis. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is increasingly used to diagnose the nature of liver lesions and is often performed together with TE and SWE. In this study we evaluated the effect of CEUS on liver stiffness measurements obtained by TE and SWE., Methods: A retrospective analysis of ultrasound (US) exams performed by an expert operator was carried out. TE and SWE were performed 30 seconds before and after the execution of CEUS. Statistical analysis was carried out using the statistical software R. Kolmogorov-Smirnov analysis was performed to test the normality of continuous variables. The pre- and post-CEUS liver stiffness values were compared using the Wilcoxon's Test., Results: Ninety-six patients were enrolled. While the measurements were comparable when performed with TE, those obtained by SWE decreased by 6% after administration of the contrast agent (P=0.0005). Fibrosis stage deviated between pre- and post-CEUS in 16 (17%) patients with Fibroscan and 22 (23%) patients with SWE. Among the latter, in 9 cases (10%) a deviation from absent-low (F0-F2) to high-fibrosis (F3, F4), or vice versa, occurred., Conclusions: Our study, the first to assess the effects of CEUS on US elastography, shows that the contrast agent (Sonovue, Bracco Suisse SA, Cadempino, Switzerland) does not significantly affect liver stiffness measurements obtained by TE, whereas the accuracy decreases when performed by SWE.

Background & Aims: Obeticholic acid (OCA) has recently been restricted in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) with "advanced cirrhosis" because of its narrow therapeutic index. We aimed to better define the predicting factors of hepatic serious adverse events (SAEs) and non-response in cirrhotic patients undergoing OCA therapy., Methods: Safety and efficacy of treatment were evaluated in a cohort of consecutive PBC cirrhotic patients started with OCA. OCA response was evaluated according to the Poise criteria. Risk factors for hepatic SAEs and non-response were reported as risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs)., Results: One hundred PBC cirrhotics were included, 97 Child-Pugh class A and 3 class B. Thirty-one had oesophageal varices and 5 had a history of ascites. Thirty-three per cent and 32% of patients achieved a biochemical response at 6 and 12 months respectively. Male sex (adjusted-RR 1.75, 95%CI 1.42-2.12), INR (1.37, 1.00-1.87), Child-Pugh score (1.79, 1.28-2.50), MELD (1.17, 1.04-1.30) and bilirubin (1.83, 1.11-3.01) were independently associated with non-response to OCA. Twenty-two patients discontinued OCA within 12 months: 10 for pruritus, 9 for hepatic SAEs (5 for jaundice and/or ascitic decompensation; 4 for upper digestive bleeding). INR (adjusted-RR 1.91, 95%CI 1.10-3.36), lower albumin levels (0.18, 0.06-0.51), Child-Pugh score (2.43, 1.50-4.04), history of ascites (3.5, 1.85-6.5) and bilirubin (1.30, 1.05-1.56), were associated with hepatic SAEs. A total bilirubin≥1.4 mg/dl at baseline was the most accurate biochemical predictor of hepatic SAEs under OCA., Conclusions: An accurate baseline assessment is crucial to select cirrhotic patients who can benefit from OCA. Although OCA is effective in one third of cirrhotics, bilirubin level ≥1.4 mg/dl should discourage from its use., (© 2022 The Authors. Liver International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

An important tool to explore personal experience of symptoms, treatment and clinical outcome is stratification of illness perception in patients affected by PBC., Aim: To assess the perception of illness in a cohort of Italian patients with PBC., Methods: Between June and December 2019, a specific questionnaire was administered to a pool of 210 patients from 7 tertiary Italian centers, in order to identify and assess the patient's past history, symptoms and their impact on the quality of life, follow-up, treatment and perceived satisfaction of patients toward the provided care., Results: Fatigue, pruritus, and abdominal discomfort and sicca syndrome were present in 50.4%, 45%, 30.4% and 28.5% of patients, fatigue having the most impacting the daily-life. After a consultation with a specialist, the diagnosis of PBC was met within 18 months for 143 patients. Patients were mostly concerned about possible health problems that occur and in 25% of cases, symptoms had a negative impact on their life. Eighty percent of patients said they were satisfied with efficacy and tolerability of treatment, while 26% requested an improvement in the relationship with the specialist., Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of both promoting timely referral to the specialist and facilitating communication between healthcare professionals and patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest M. Scaffidi received a Bursary grant for this study by FIRE (Italian Foundation for Research in Hepatology. All the remaining authors declares no conflict of interest that pertain to this work., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Comprehensive and contemporary data pertaining large populations of patients with Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are missing., Aim: To describe main characteristics and outcome of PBC patients with HCC diagnosed in the new millennium., Methods: Analysing the Italian Liver Cancer registry we identified 80 PBC patients with HCC diagnosed after the year 2000, and described their clinical characteristics, access to treatment and survival., Results: Median age of patients was 71 years and 50.0% were males. Cirrhosis was present in 86.3% of patients, being well-compensated in 58.0%. Median HCC diameter was smaller in patients under surveillance (2.6 vs 4.0 cm, P = 0.007). Curative treatment, feasible in 50.0% of patients, was associated with improved survival compared to palliative and supportive care (42 vs 33 vs 6 months, P<0.0001). Surveillance was associated with a non-significant improved survival (36 vs 23 months), likely due to similar rate of curative treatment in patients under (51.4%) and outside surveillance (42.6%)., Conclusions: PBC patients with HCC are often elderly males with well-preserved liver function. Feasibility of curative treatment is high and associated with improved prognosis. Description of these patients may help focus surveillance to identify earlier tumours, increase their curability, and improve prognosis., (Copyright © 2022 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)