Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics
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Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. · Jun 2014
ReviewSystematic review: The safety and efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for inflammatory bowel disease.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) provides 100% oxygen under pressure, which increases tissue oxygen levels, relieves hypoxia and alters inflammatory pathways. Although there is experience using HBOT in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the safety and overall efficacy of HBOT in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is unknown. ⋯ Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a relatively safe and potentially efficacious treatment option for IBD patients. To understand the true benefit of HBOT in IBD, well-controlled, blinded, randomised trials are needed for both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
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Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. · Jun 2014
Comparative StudyComparison of scoring systems and outcome of patients admitted to a liver intensive care unit of a tertiary referral centre with severe variceal bleeding.
Acute variceal haemorrhage (AVH) is associated with significant mortality. ⋯ MELD score was comparable to ICU prognostic models in predicting mortality. Blood lactate was also predictive of hospital mortality. Delays in referrals and repeated endoscopy were associated with increased re-bleeding and mortality in this group.