Fundamentals of Liver Disease: Inpatient Hepatology Management in 2026

Presenters highlight recent advances in the management of liver diseases commonly encountered in general gastroenterology and community-based inpatient practices. Using a case-based approach, speakers address: Variceal hemorrhage management. Speakers review advanced management of variceal hemorrhage, going beyond the basics of resuscitation and variceal band ligation. Strategies reviewed include sclerotherapy, balloon tamponade, placement of esophageal stents, and related triage strategies that may be performed prior to definitive treatment by interventional radiology or advanced endoscopy at a tertiary care or transplant center. Treatment of rectal varices and rectal variceal hemorrhage are also discussed. Nonvariceal portal hypertensive bleeding. Not all bleeding in cirrhosis is caused by varices; chronic gastrointestinal bleeding is a common and challenging problem in patients with cirrhosis. Presenters highlight noninvasive and endoscopic management strategies for portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) and gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) in the setting of cirrhosis. Thrombosis and bleeding in cirrhosis. Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a common and challenging complication of cirrhosis. Presenters demystify PVT, reviewing terminology, the role of anticoagulation, and when to refer to interventional radiology. Speakers also more generally review the balance of coagulation and hemostasis in cirrhosis, and considerations for anticoagulation and antiplatelet agents for indications other than PVT.