Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding, Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding, and Hepatic Failure

• To use clinical clues to differentiate between upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage • To examine results of vital signs, blood tests, and nasogastric aspirate to assess severity of GI hemorrhage and define immediate resuscitative measures • To define the common causes of GI hemorrhage in the intensive care unit (ICU) • To develop a diagnostic strategy and plan of management • To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of therapeutic options for treatment of GI hemorrhage • To distinguish between acute hepatitis, acute liver failure, fulminant hepatitic failure, and an acute flare of chronic liver disease • To assess the clinical features that define poor outcome and need for emergent transplantation • To define the main causes of acute liver failure in patients presenting to the ICU • To initiate an appropriate plan for diagnosis and management • To understand the indications, complications, and utility of intracranial pressure monitoring • To describe advantages, disadvantages, and outcome of a wide array of treatments, including hepatocyte transplantation, bioartificial liver support, and transplantation (conventional and living donor liver transplantation using the right lobe)