Cirrhosis and Variceal Bleeding – Part 3
Octreotide is a drug used to treat bleeding varices. It is a long-acting synthetic analogue (similar chemical structure) of somatostatin. An intravenous injection of 50-mcgs/hour has been shown to cause significant decrease in portal pressure. The effect of a single-dose of octreotide on reducing portal pressure is effective but short-lived (the half-life is three hours in patients with liver disease), thus requiring a continuous administration.
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