[Helicobacter pylori eradication frequency with the conventional triple therapy in adult patients at the Centro Médico Issemym]. / Frecuencia de erradicación del Helicobacter pylori con triple esquema convencional en pacientes adultos del Centro Médico Issemym.

BACKGROUND: In Mexico, the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is high. The bacterial eradication rate with the administration of antibiotic regimens recommended by international guidelines is not yet clear. AIMS: To determine the eradication frequency of H. pylori infection in the adult Mexican population that underwent treatment with the conventional triple regimen. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out that evaluated the effectiveness of the triple regimen in individuals with confirmed infection that received consensual treatment and then underwent tests to corroborate eradication. RESULTS: From a total of 249 potential case records, 26 did not meet the inclusion criteria. Two hundred and twenty-three patients were enrolled for analysis, 64,00% women and 36,00% men, with a mean age of 49,4 years (range 17-86). Comorbidities presented in 55,60% of the patients and 28,60% referred to chronic use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Bacterial eradication with the triple regimen was 65,50% (146/223); of the 77 patients with no eradication, 11 received a quadruple regimen as second-line treatment resulting in bacterial eradication in 5/11 (45,45%) patients, for an overall eradication of 67,70%. CONCLUSIONS: The eradication rate in our study population was suboptimal due to the probability of multiple factors that are difficult to identify, given the retrospective design of the study. A prospective and controlled evaluation of the recommended regimens needs to be carried out in order to determine their true effectiveness.

[Reduction of hospital stay with the use of L-ornithine L-aspartate (LOLA) in patients with hepatic encephalopathy]. / Disminución de la estancia hospitalaria con el uso de L-ornitina L-aspartato (LOLA) en pacientes con encefalopatía hepática.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common cause of hospital admission in patients with cirrhosis involving high costs of care. AIM: To evaluate the use of L-ornithine L-aspartate (LOLA) vs. lactulose is able to reduce the length of hospital stay and the timing of improvement of hepatic encephalopathy. METHODS: Retrospective and comparative study of patients with HE admitted to the Medical Gastroenterology Unit of a tertiary referral center in Mexico City (Hospital General de México) in a period of three years. Patients were divided in two treatment groups: LOLA vs. oral lactulose. We compared time to remission of encephalopathy, days of hospital stay and costs of hospital care. RESULTS: We included 80 patients: 40 patients who received treatment with latulose had acumulative hospital stay of 443 days vs. 264 days for those who received LOLA (40% reduction in hospital stay). In the group treated with lactulose, mean hospital stay was 11.07 days vs. 6.47 days in the group treated with LOLA. Thus, a significantly greater number of patients treated with LOLA remained hospitalized less than a week compared with those treated with lactulose (65% vs. 20% respectively. OR 4.33, 95% CI 1.67- 11.23, p = 0.004). The mean recovery time of encephalopathy was less with LOLA treatment (4.32 vs. 10.15 days). CONCLUSION: Treatment with LOLA was more effective in improving HE and reducing the duration of hospital stay.