[Evaluation and treatment of the critically ill cirrhotic patient].

Cirrhotic patients often develop severe complications requiring ICU admission. Grade III-IV hepatic encephalopathy, septic shock, acute-on-chronic liver failure and variceal bleeding are clinical decompensations that need a specific therapeutic approach in cirrhosis. The increased effectiveness of the treatments currently used in this setting and the spread of liver transplantation programs have substantially improved the prognosis of critically ill cirrhotic patients, which has facilitated their admission to critical care units.

[Gastrointestinal inflammatory fibroid polyps. Clinical characteristics and follow-up in a series of 26 patients].

Introduction: Inflammatory fibroid polyp (IFP) is a protuberant lesion, located near the muscularis mucosae and composed of a proliferation of fusiform cells and conjunctive fibers surrounding capillaries and a variable inflammatory infiltrate. It is believed to be a poorly controlled inflammatory repair response. Our aim was to study the clinical, pathological and follow-up characteristics of a series of patients with IFP.

[Prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses in different counties of Catalonia, Spain: cross-sectional study].

Background: There are few data available in our community regarding the prevalence of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) virus infection in the general population.

Material And Method: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and serologic characteristics of HBV and HCV in Catalonia. For this purpose, HBsAg and anti-HCV were assessed in serum aliquots obtained from a sample of 2194 individuals, who were chosen at random out from different Catalonian counties.

Impact of physician specialty on the cost of nonvariceal upper GI bleeding care.

Objective: Upper GI bleeding (UGIB) is a common medical emergency that leads to a high consumption of medical resources and costs. We aimed to analyze the influence of physician specialty on the costs of nonvariceal UGIB care.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed 350 nonvariceal UGIB episodes that were primarily cared for by gastroenterologists (n = 142), internists (n = 67), or surgeons (n = 141).