Improving Outcomes in Hepatorenal Syndrome-Acute Kidney Injury With Early Diagnoses and Implementation of Approved...

Decompensated cirrhosis, defined by the overt manifestations of liver failure and portal hypertension (eg, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, variceal bleeding), is the inflection point associated with increased morbidity and mortality in chronic liver disease. Acute kidney injury in the setting of cirrhosis (hepatorenal syndrome-acute kidney injury [HRS-AKI]) is a severe and often fatal complication. The goals of treatment of HRS-AKI are to reverse renal failure and prolong survival in these critically ill patients or perhaps to allow the transplant team to complete the pretransplant evaluation and bridge the patient to transplant. Historically, in the United States, standard-of-care treatments for HRS-AKI were chosen by default despite lack of data, off-label use, and suboptimal results. Terlipressin represents the first drug in the United States indicated for the treatment of HRS-AKI. This review provides an up-to-date overview of HRS-AKI, discusses terlipressin and how to incorporate this new treatment into patient care and streamline society guidelines on HRS diagnosis and treatment in a practical way for clinical use, and concludes with a sample order set that highlights the recommendations discussed throughout the supplement.