[Reduction of hospital stay with the use of L-ornithine L-aspartate (LOLA) in patients with hepatic encephalopathy].
BACKGROUND
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common cause of hospital admission in patients with cirrhosis involving high costs of care.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the use of L-ornithine L-aspartate (LOLA) vs. lactulose is able to reduce the length of hospital stay and the timing of improvement of hepatic encephalopathy.


METHODS
Retrospective and comparative study of patients with HE admitted to the Medical Gastroenterology Unit of a tertiary referral center in Mexico City (Hospital General de México) in a period of three years. Patients were divided in two treatment groups: LOLA vs. oral lactulose. We compared time to remission of encephalopathy, days of hospital stay and costs of hospital care.


RESULTS
We included 80 patients: 40 patients who received treatment with latulose had acumulative hospital stay of 443 days vs. 264 days for those who received LOLA (40% reduction in hospital stay). In the group treated with lactulose, mean hospital stay was 11.07 days vs. 6.47 days in the group treated with LOLA. Thus, a significantly greater number of patients treated with LOLA remained hospitalized less than a week compared with those treated with lactulose (65% vs. 20% respectively. OR 4.33, 95% CI 1.67- 11.23, p = 0.004). The mean recovery time of encephalopathy was less with LOLA treatment (4.32 vs. 10.15 days).


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment with LOLA was more effective in improving HE and reducing the duration of hospital stay.
Abdo-Francis
J M
JM
Servicio de Gastroenterología, Hospital General de México, O. D. SSA, Mexico. drjuanmiguelabdo@yahoo.com.mx
Pérez-Hernández
J L
JL
Hinojosa-Ruiz
A
A
Hernández-Vásquez
J R
JR
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007792:Lactulose / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D004151:Dipeptides; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D007792:Lactulose; C002939:ornithylaspartate