Efficacy of L-Ornithine L-Aspartate (LOLA) as an Adjunct to Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) Enriched Solutions on Clinical Outcomes in ICU Patients With Hepatic Encephalopathy

Overview

One of the most significant goals of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) treatment is to reduce ammonia levels by lowering its synthesis and enhancing its detoxification which can be achieved by using non-absorbable disaccharides, antibiotics, branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), L-ornithine L-aspartate (LOLA), and probiotics. LOLA decreases ammonia, therefore, it is presumed to decrease agitated delirium in HE patients and thus decrease their need for other sedatives. On the other hand, BCAA improve mental function in HE patients by increasing the detoxification of ammonia in muscles.

The most often utilized criteria for grading HE are the West Haven criteria (WHC). This grading distinguishes four levels of clinically evident hepatic encephalopathy. West Haven criteria (WHC): \[R\] Stage Consciousness 0\. Normal 1. Mild lack of awareness 2. Lethargic 3. Somnolent but arousable 4. Coma REFERENCES: Ferenci P, Lockwood A, Mullen K, Tarter R, Weissenborn K, Blei AT. Hepatic encephalopathy-definition, nomenclature, diagnosis, and quantification: final report of the working party at the 11th World Congress of Gastroenterology, Vienna, 1998. Hepatology 2002; 35: 716-21.

Conditions