The Beast in the Belly: Complications and Management of Liver Failure

This presentation will walk through a series of complex cases using the updated 2021 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Management of Ascites, Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis and Hepatorenal Syndrome guidelines on how to effectively identify pharmacotherapy issues, design patient-centered care plans, assess response to therapy, and redesign care plans based on the patient's response. Each portion of the session will begin with a case study that will be integrated seamlessly throughout the presentation requiring identification and classification of the patient's disease state, identification of precipitating causes including drug- induced disease, and development of initial treatment strategies, and then modifications of treatment based on the patient's response. These treatment strategies will differ based on the patient’s acuity level and the unit on which the patient presents. Attendees will have the opportunity to use attendee response systems that will lead to discussion pertaining to more complex portions of the case, similar to one would in a team-based rounds in the unit. We will follow by a discussion of our current approach to practice as well as reflect on the audiences approaches to treat these patients.

This activity is approved for Board Certified Critical Care Pharmacist (BCCCP) and Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS) recertification credit.