THE THERAPEUTIC MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

THERAPEUTIC MANAGEMENT OF HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY

Resumen

Hepatic encephalopathy is the most significant neurological consequence in cirrhotic patients. The aim of this review is to list the main methods used to manage hepatic encephalopathy, whether pharmacological or not. This integrative literature review was carried out using a bibliographic search. Using the PRISMA flowchart, 1214 articles were identified in the databases, 324 were screened and 890 were selected for analysis by abstract and title. The texts analyzed in their entirety totaled 127, of which 30 articles published between 2015 and 2021 were selected, these with quantitative approaches, literature reviews and cohort studies. This review showed that the drugs most commonly used in treatment currently include lactulose and rifaximin, while others such as albumin, ornithine phenylacetate, zinc, polyethylene glycol, flumazenil, etc. have also been used in management. In addition, treatments such as fecal microbiota transplantation, portosystemic shunt embolization, retrograde transvenous obliteration and liver transplantation are also used in clinical practice. It can be concluded, however, that therapies capable of curing this pathology are still lacking, and those available are only effective in improving symptoms and the patient's quality of life.