title: Gastrointestinal Issues in Liver Disease.
abstract: Gastrointestinal (GI) complications of cirrhosis are frequent in patients who require intensive care support and are often the primary indication for intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Perhaps the most worrisome GI complication for the intensivist is variceal hemorrhage. Bleeding from esophageal or gastric varices represents a life-threatening event for cirrhotic patients and provides management challenges for the ICU team. Nonvariceal GI bleeding, impaired GI motility, and malnutrition also provide significant challenges for the intensivist. This article reviews GI issues that present in critically ill cirrhotic patients and their management in the acute setting.
authors.affiliation: The University of Kansas, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA. Electronic address: jolson2@kumc.edu.
authors.forename: Jody C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Wisconsin, 9200 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
authors.forename: Kia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saeian
mesh_terms: D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices / Q000209:etiology*; D020252:Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000150:complications*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000209:etiology
keywords: Cirrhosis; Gastric varices; Gastrointestinal issues; Liver disease; Portal hypertensive gastropathy; Variceal hemorrhage