Patient's question:
Father-in-law is 56 years old this year. Two years ago, he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and has been undergoing dialysis ever since, barely holding on until now. Recently, his condition has worsened, and symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy have reappeared. How should he be treated? How long can he generally maintain this condition?Doctor's answer:
Generally, it is relatively uncommon to have liver cirrhosis followed by dialysis treatment. It is usually caused by hepatic encephalopathy or hepatic coma, which is due to electrolyte imbalance or hypotension. In such cases, the decision to initiate dialysis is made to prevent severe damage to brain function. The duration of this treatment is typically determined based on whether full recovery can be achieved after each dialysis session, or the specific duration of complete recovery. If the time required for full recovery continues to shorten, it is unlikely that the patient will survive more than a year.