Background/Aims: The safety of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in hepatic cirrhosis and the impact of Child-Pugh class on post-ERCP complications need to be better studied. We investigated the post-ERCP complication rates in patients with cirrhosis compared with those without cirrhosis.Methods: We conducted a literature search of relevant databases to identify studies that reported post-ERCP complications in patients with hepatic cirrhosis.Results: Twenty-four studies comprising 28,201 patients were included. The pooled incidence of post-ERCP complications in cirrhosis was 15.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.8%–19.2%; I2=96.2%), with an individual pooled incidence of pancreatitis 5.1% (95% CI, 3.1%–7.2%; I2=91.5%), bleeding 3.6% (95% CI, 2.8%–4.5%; I2=67.5%), cholangitis 2.9% (95% CI, 1.9%–3.8%; I2=83.4%), and perforation 0.3% (95% CI, 0.1%–0.5%; I2=3.7%). Patients with cirrhosis had a greater risk of post-ERCP complications (risk ratio [RR], 1.41; 95% CI, 1.16–1.71; I2=56.3%). The risk of individual odds of adverse events between cirrhosis and non-cirrhosis was as follows: pancreatitis (RR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.06–1.48; I2=24.8%), bleeding (RR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.59–2.37; I2=0%), cholangitis (RR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.77–1.70; I2=12%), and perforation (RR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.59–2.43; I2=0%).Conclusions: Cirrhosis is associated with an increased risk of post-ERCP pancreatitis, bleeding, and cholangitis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, most healthcare services, including inpatient and outpatient procedures, got delayed. We reviewed the effect of COVID-19 infection on the timing of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) in variceal bleeding patients and analyzed the complications of delayed EGD. Using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) 2020, we identified patients admitted for variceal bleeding with COVID-19 infection. We performed a multivariable regression analysis and adjusted it for patient and hospital-related variables. The International Classification of Disease Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes were used for patient selection. We measured the effect of COVID-19 on the timing of EGD and further analyzed the effect of delayed EGD on hospital-based outcomes. A total of 49,675 patients diagnosed with variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding were analyzed, out of which 915 (1.84%) were COVID-19 positive. Variceal bleeding patients who were COVID-positive had a significantly lower rate of EGD performed within the first 24 h of admission (36.1% vs. 60.6% p = 0.001) compared to the patients who tested negative for COVID-19. The performance of EGD within 24 h of admission resulted in a decrease in all-cause mortality by 70% (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.30, 95% CI 0.12–0.76, p = 0.01) compared to EGD after 24 h. A significant decrease was noted in the odds of ICU admission rate (AOR 0.37, 95% CI 0.14–0.97, p = 0.04) in patients who got EGD within the first 24 h of admission. No difference in odds of sepsis (AOR 0.44, 95% CI 0.15–1.30, p = 0.14) and vasopressor use (AOR 0.34, 95% CI 0.04–2.87, p = 0.32) was seen in COVID positive vs. COVID negative group. The hospital mean length of stay (2.14 days, 95% CI 4.35–0.06, p = 0.06), mean total charges ($51,936, 95% CI $106,688–$2816, p = 0.06), and total cost (11,489$, 95% CI 30,380$–7402$, p = 0.23) was similar in both COVID-positive and -negative groups. In our study, we found that the presence of COVID-19 infection in variceal bleeding patients resulted in a significant delay in EGD compared to COVID-negative patients. This delay in EGD resulted in increased all-cause mortality and intensive care unit admissions.

Background/Aims: Although endoscopic glue injection is the conventional first-line treatment for gastric variceal (GV) bleeding, a large body of evidence supports the safety and effectiveness of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided coil and glue injections. We compared the safety and efficacy of these two modalities.Methods: A random-effects model was used for the pooled estimates. The outcomes of interest were the odds of technical success, GV obliteration, adverse events, rebleeding, reintervention, and pulmonary embolization (PE).Results: Eight studies involving 659 patients (EUS-guided coil+glue, n=200; endoscopic glue, n=459) were included in the meta-analysis. The rebleeding (odds ratio [OR], 0.28, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16–0.51; I2=0%) and reintervention (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.15–0.52; I2=0%) rates were significantly lower in the EUS-guided coil+glue. EUS-guided coil+glue group had higher rates (OR, 4.56; 95% CI, 2.04 –10.19; I2=30%) of GV obliteration after the first session. No difference in the odds of technical success (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 0.50–8.22; I2=0%), adverse events (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.44–3.20; I2=45%), abdominal pain (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.36–3.82; I2=44%) fever (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.41–2.92; I2=0%), PE (OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.19–1.47; I2=0%) and all-cause mortality (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.32–1.40; I2=0%) was identified.Conclusions: EUS-guided coil and glue injections are safe and effective for the treatment of gastric varices.

Introduction: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an increased risk of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). While antibiotic exposure has been considered the most prominent risk factor for CDI, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use is another potential risk factor. Methods: From January 2017 to April 2021, we examined the University of Missouri’s IBD patients’ medical records. Laboratory-confirmed CDI diagnosis was the main outcome of interest. The usage of PPIs was the exposure of interest. The odds ratio between CDI risk in PPI users and non-users was estimated using logistic regression models. We investigated CDI risk with PPI use duration using stratified analysis. Results: Overall prevalence of CDI was 9%. 358 patients (42%) reported using PPI, with an average duration of ~30 months, with a range of 0.1 to 255. PPI use was associated with a higher risk of CDI in both the unadjusted (OR = 1.58 [0.98–2.53]; p = 0.06) and adjusted models (9.23 [2.11–40.34]; p = 0.003). Only those who used PPIs for less than 30 months had a greater risk of CDI in the stratified analysis (OR = 2.10 [1.16–3.38], p = 0.014). Long-term use (≥30 months) did not increase the incidence of CDI (OR = 0.74 [0.29, 1.83]; p = 0.510). Discussion: This is the single largest study of the US general IBD population to evaluate the association between PPI use and risk of developing CDI. PPI therapy was linked to a significant elevation in CDI risk, restricted to PPI use for up to 30 months. Histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) did not increase the risk of CDI.