Background: Rifaximin 550 mg tablets is a nonsystemic antibiotic indicated for reducing the risk of overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) recurrence in adults and may be used alone or in combination with the cathartic lactulose. This analysis evaluated the safety profile of rifaximin alone vs rifaximin + lactulose (combination) in patients with cirrhosis. Methods: In a [...]

Background: Rifaximin 550 mg tablets is a nonsystemic antibiotic indicated for reducing the risk of overt hepatic encephalopathy (HE) recurrence in adults and may be used in combination with lactulose. Practice guidelines state that rifaximin is effective as add-on therapy to lactulose for preventing overt HE recurrence. This pooled analysis evaluated the efficacy and safety [...]

Case Presentation: A 66-year-old female became noncompliant with home medications presented to the emergency room with altered mental status. She had an established diagnosis of decompensated cirrhosis on a recent discharge from hospital leading to metabolic encephalopathy. Five days into her hospital stay, the patient refused medications and nutrition leading to an IV saline treatment. [...]

Case Presentation: A 51-year-old woman presented with recurrent confusion and altered mental status over the past 6 months. She reported associated hallucinations, altered sleep cycle and hyper-arousal symptoms. She was treated with lactulose and rifaximin for suspected hepatic encephalopathy with no improvement. She denied any other symptoms. Past medical history was significant for cirrhosis secondary [...]