Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Nov 27, 2024; 16(11): 1356-1360
Published online Nov 27, 2024. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v16.i11.1356
Rifaximin discontinuation during broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment in critically ill patients with hepatic encephalopathy
Lorenzo Ridola, Alessandro Mari
Lorenzo Ridola, Alessandro Mari, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Polo Pontino, Rome 00185, Italy
Author contributions: Mari A was responsible for conceptualization and manuscript writing; Ridola L was responsible for conceptualization, manuscript writing, key revisions of important knowledge content, and final approval.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Lorenzo Ridola, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Polo Pontino, Viale dell'Università 37, Rome 00185, Italy. lorenzo.ridola@uniroma1.it
Received: May 27, 2024
Revised: October 1, 2024
Accepted: October 23, 2024
Published online: November 27, 2024
Processing time: 162 Days and 18.1 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: According to the current international guidelines, rifaximin administration is recommended only for the secondary prophylaxis of recurrent hepatic encephalopathy (HE). The rifaximin role for the treatment of an overt HE episode in inpatients is still unclear. However, in clinical practice, it is common to keep on rifaximin therapy that patients were already on prior to hospitalization during an overt HE episode. The Ward et al study demonstrated for the first time the feasibility and safety of rifaximin discontinuation during broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, with significant cost saving during hospitalization.