How To Proactively Treat Hepatic Encephalopathy

Liver Transplant

The ultimate treatment of hepatic encephalopathy is a liver transplant, which can be done with both a deceased donor as well as a live donor. The latter indicates a living person would donate part of their healthy liver to the patient. Usually, immediate blood relatives are highly compatible, though friends and other relatives can get tested to see if they are a match. With a transplant, the patient will have a fully functioning liver and will be able to process toxins properly, thus eliminating hepatic encephalopathy. Of course, they still need to be monitored and make changes, because whatever caused the liver damage and the resulting hepatic encephalopathy could happen again. Patients may still need to make lifestyle changes or have some underlying medical condition addressed.

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Ventilator Or Oxygen Mask

Hepatic encephalopathy can cause many mental and physical changes, and even after taking all precautions, there is a possibility for the illness to progress. If it creates difficulty in breathing, a ventilator or oxygen mask may be needed to support the patient until toxins can be removed from the body. Without assistance with breathing, a patient could suffer catastrophic events and need additional medical support. A ventilator is a machine hooked up to a tube that goes down the throat into the lungs. This means the machine is breathing for the patient. The oxygen mask is less intrusive and covers both the nose and mouth and has oxygen pumped through it. It can help force more oxygen down the throat of the patient to aid in breathing. As the hepatic encephalopathy starts being controlled through different interventions, the patient may be able to come off the ventilator or no longer need the oxygen mask.

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