Advances in Liver Disease and Transplantation 2016

Course Description:

The burden of acute and chronic liver diseases in the United States continues to rise. Patients with chronic liver disease are at risk for the development of cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Viral hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, autoimmune liver diseases, and metabolic liver disorders are risk factors for cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation and hepatocellular carcinoma. Exciting advances have been made in liver disease management and surgery in recent years.

Information about evidence-based recommendations for screening, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with acute and chronic liver diseases is important in order to provide optimal care. Specific training and clinical skills to manage patients with cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation, and hepatocellular carcinoma will become increasingly important as we see more patients with end-stage liver disease. Additionally, information about the indications and contraindications to liver transplantation is imperative in order to provide timely referral, evaluation, and listing for transplantation. Moreover, health care personnel outside of liver transplant programs will be increasingly called upon to manage medical problems in patients who have undergone liver transplantation.

This course will address current, evidence-based recommendations on the management of patients with acute and chronic liver diseases, hepatic decompensation, and liver tumors, and review current local practices. The latest information on liver transplant topics relevant to community practitioners will be discussed. Through this course, the gap between best and current practices will be closed in order to provide the optimal patient care, reduce morbidity and mortality, and reduce the burden of liver disease in the Mid-Atlantic region.