|


ACG is committed to keeping members abreast of current clinical
updates on disease treatment. We offer Clinical Updates through
practice guidelines and research published in The American
Journal of Gastroenterology and Nature Reviews
Gastroenterology & Hepatology. The American Journal of
Gastroenterology is available for free to all ACG Members.
ACG Members, Fellows (FACG), Masters, and International Members
qualify for a free subscription to Nature Reviews
Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Members also receive clinical
updates twice-weekly through ACG’s e-newsletter, ACG SmartBrief,
that delivers summaries of the latest news. ACG also publishes
special papers and monographs throughout the year.
To learn more about ACG’s Clinical Updates, see below.

The College publishes guidelines on gastrointestinal diseases
in the American Journal of Gastroenterology that have been developed
and reviewed under the auspices of the ACG Practice Parameters
Committee.
Diagnosis
and Management of Achalasia (December 1999)
Diagnosis, Surveillance and Therapy of Barrett’s
Esophagus (March 2008)
Colorectal Cancer Screening (March 2009)
Diagnosis, Treatment and Surveillance for Patients with Colorectal Polyps (November 2000)
Management of Crohn’s
Disease in Adults (February 2009)
Diagnosis and Management of C. difficile-Associated Diarrhea and Colitis (May 1997)
Acute Infectious Diarrhea in Adults (November 1997)
Diagnosis and Management of Diverticular Disease of the Colon in Adults (November 1999)
Management of Dyspepsia (October 2005)
Esophageal
Cancer (December 1999)
Diagnosis and Treatment of Esophageal Diseases Associated with HIV Infection (November 1996)
Esophageal Reflux Testing (March 2007)
Diagnosis
and Management of Fecal Incontinence (2004)
Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (January 2005)
Management of the Adult Patient with Acute Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding (August 1998)
Management of Helicobacter pylori Infection(August 2007)
Hepatic
Encephalopathy (July 2001)
Liver
Disease in the Pregnant Patient (July 1999)
Alcoholic
Liver Disease (November 1998)
Prevention of NSAID-Related Ulcer Complications (March 2009)
Acute
Pancreatitis (October 2006)
Ulcerative
Colitis in Adults (July 2004)
Guidelines Produced in Association with other Organizations
Prevention and Management of Gastroesophageal Varices and Variceal Hemorrhage in Cirrhosis (September 2007)
Screening and Surveillance of the Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer And Adenomatous Polyps (March 2008)
Diagnosis, Management, and Treatment of Hepatitis C: An Update (April 2009)

Measuring
the Quality of Endoscopy
Quality
Indicators for Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Procedures: An Introduction
Quality
Indicators for Colonoscopy
Quality
Indicators for Esophagogastroduodenoscopy
Quality
Indicators for Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography
Quality
Indicators for Endoscopic Ultrasonography

Are hospitals and health insurance plans exposed to potential
litigation if they don't establish guidelines for determining competency
in providing endoscopic procedures? ACG in cooperation with ASGE,
has published "Ensuring Competence in Endoscopy" which
helps to answer this question. Along with the joint publication,
a legal memorandum from a nationally-renowned litigation law firm,
Williams & Connolly, is included. ACG members will receive
a copy in the mail and ACG is also mailing a copy to all hospitals
and health plans across the country. PDF's of each may also be
found by clicking on one of the links below.
Ensuring
Competence in Endoscopy (for the GI physician)
Ensuring
Competence in Endoscopy Executive Briefing (for the hospital
or health plan administrator)

Highlights from the current issue:
Risk of Arterial Thrombotic Events in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an increased risk of venous thrombotic events. The risk of arterial thrombotic events in IBD, however, has been less well characterized. In this study, researchers explored whether Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are associated with a higher risk for thrombotic events involving the mesenteric, cardiac, or cerebral arteries. (more)
Novel Removable Internally Fully Covered Self-Expanding Metal Esophageal Stent: Feasibility, Technique of Removal, and Tissue Response in Humans
Internally fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FCSEMSs) have recently become available, offering the possibility of removal. However, to the authors’ knowledge, the feasibility, techniques for endoscopic removal, and tissue reaction to FCSEMS have not been reported in humans. The aims of this study were (1) to report reasons for and success of FCSEMS removal in consecutive patients, (2) to describe methods of esophageal stent retrieval, and (3) to describe stent reactions induced by FCSEMS in humans. (more)
Hyponatremia Is a Risk Factor of Hepatic Encephalopathy in Patients With Cirrhosis: A Prospective Study With Time-Dependent Analysis
The aim of this study was to investigate whether hyponatremia is a risk factor of overt hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in cirrhosis. A total of 61 patients with cirrhosis were evaluated prospectively for 1 year and all episodes of overt HE were recorded. Twenty-eight of the 61 patients developed 57 episodes of overt HE during follow-up. Among a number of clinical and laboratory variables analyzed, the only independent predictive factors of overt HE were hyponatremia. The authors concluded that in patients with cirrhosis, the existence of hyponatremia is a major risk factor of the development of overt HE and that treatment of hyponatremia may be a novel therapeutic approach to preventing HE in cirrhosis. (more)

Highlights from the current issue
Management of gastric polyps: a pathology-based guide for gastroenterologists
Appropriate clinical and pathological evaluation is crucial for the diagnosis and management of gastric polyps and polypoid lesions. This Review discusses the endoscopic characteristics, histopathology, pathogenesis and management of polyps and common polypoid lesions in the stomach, and provides a practical guide for gastroenterologists. CME is available for this article. (more)
Actions and therapeutic pathways of ghrelin for gastrointestinal disorders
Ghrelin is an orexigenic hormone that acts to increase food intake and fat deposition, and at high doses, can modulate gastric motility. This Review addresses the actions of ghrelin in gastrointestinal systems. Studies that have investigated the role of ghrelin receptor agonists and antagonists for the treatment of gastrointestinal motility disorders and obesity are also discussed. (more)
A guide for the diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal stromal cell tumors
Gastrointestinal stromal cell tumors (GISTs) always have a degree of malignant potential, and, increasingly, they are diagnosed only on routine endoscopy. This Review provides a gastroenterologist's guide for GIST diagnosis and assessment of malignant potential. The authors also propose an algorithm for the treatment of localized GISTs that is especially useful for the management of incidentally diagnosed tumors. (more)
Treatment of chronic hepatitis C in a slow responder: a case for extended therapy
This article considers the case of a 49-year-old man who presented with fatigue and poor concentration. He was diagnosed with HCV genotype 1 infection and started on a 48-week course of pegylated interferon 2b plus ribavirin. Despite initial reductions in his serum HCV-RNA levels, HCV-RNA remained detectable at week 12; however, it was undetectable by week 24. The patient was classified as a slow responder and therapy was extended to 72 weeks. (more)

ACG SmartBrief, emailed twice weekly to ACG members,
provides summaries of the latest news in gastroenterology. You’ll
find news coverage of Clinical Updates, Legal & Regulatory,
Practice News, Business & Market Trends, Patient Perspectives,
and more. If you are an ACG member and are not currently receiving ACG
SmartBrief, update your member record by adding your email
address information.
Coming soon, search past issues of ACG SmartBrief to
find articles of interest.

You may request a free copy on any of the monographs listed below
by visiting the ACG Store. Many of these monographs are for
ACG members only.
IBD & Osteoporosis:
A Guide to Diagnosis and Management (2001)
Managing
Variceal Bleeding in the Cirrhotic (1996)
You may download a copy of the monograph listed below by clicking on the link.
Pregnancy in Gastrointestinal Disorders (Updated 2007)
|