Over 600,000 adults in the United States have liver cirrhosis, and as many as 30 to 45 percent of these patients will develop overt neuropsychiatric abnormalities. This week we discuss when patients present to the emergency department with signs suggestive of hepatic encephalopathy and how to best evaluate, manage and disposition this complex group.
Posts tagged #altered mental status
The ED Approach To The Comatose Patient
Approximately 3% of all ED patients arrive in some sort of altered mental state. In this post we dive into the emergency department evaluation of these patients and highlights key components of the physical examination and initial evaluation to help you narrow your differential diagnosis.