Terlipressin vs. Somatostatin in Cirrhotic Patients With Acute Variceal Bleeding and Renal Dysfunction

Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB) is a common complication in the decompensated stage of liver cirrhosis, of which approximately 70% is acute variceal bleeding (AVB) caused by portal hypertension. Existing evidence suggests that both terlipressin and somatostatin can be used to control AVB in cirrhotic patients, but terlipressin may be the first-line treatment for cirrhotic patients with AVB complicated by renal dysfunction (RD). Herein, a multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) has been designed to compare the efficacy of terlipressin and somatostatin in the treatment of cirrhotic patients with AVB complicated by RD.