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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 Clinical Practice
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 Clinical Practice
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. New in 2006,
Quality Indicators for Endoscopy, a series of five papers written
jointly with ASGE.
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)
Diagnosis, Treatment and Surveillance for Patients with Colorectal Polyps (November 2000)
Management of Crohn’s
Disease in Adults (March 2001)
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)
Treatment
and Prevention NSAID-Induced Ulcers (November 1998)
Diagnosis and Management of Neoplastic Pancreatic Cysts (October 2007)
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)
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:
Dietary Antioxidants, Fruits, and Vegetables and the Risk of Barrett's Esophagus
This case-control study evaluated the associations among antioxidants, fruit and vegetable intake, and the risk. Nutrient intake was measured using a validated 110-item food frequency questionnaire. The antioxidant results were stratified by dietary versus total intake of antioxidants. Researchers concluded that dietary antioxidants, fruits, and vegetables are inversely associated with the risk of BE, while no association was observed for supplement intake. The results suggest that fruits and vegetables themselves or associated undetected confounders may influence early events in the carcinogenesis of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (more)
Alcohol Consumption by Cirrhotic Subjects: Patterns of Use and Effects on Liver Function
Researchers investigated patterns of use of alcohol and its clinical effects among cirrhotic subjects who participated in a randomized clinical trial comparing the efficacy of transjugular intravenous portosystemic shunt and distal splenorenal shunt. Whereas most cirrhotic subjects, alcoholic or not, did not drink during 5 yr of observation, heavy alcohol use occurred exclusively in ALD patients. Alcohol use by ALD subjects was associated with elevations in GGT and was linked to death and with rebleeding from shunt dysfunction. (more)
Probiotic Yogurt for the Treatment of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy
Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE), the preclinical stage of overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE), is a significant condition affecting up to 60% of cirrhotics. All MHE therapies modify gut microflora, but consensus regarding MHE treatment and long-term adherence studies is lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of probiotic supplementation in the form of a food item, probiotic yogurt, on MHE reversal and adherence. This trial demonstrated a significant rate of MHE reversal and excellent adherence in cirrhotics after probiotic yogurt supplementation with potential for long-term adherence. (more)
Highlights from the current issue
Is the tissue-engineered intestine clinically viable?
The tissue-engineered intestine might provide a viable alternative to intestinal transplantation for patients with intestinal failure. This Viewpoint discusses the available evidence regarding the feasibility of this type of treatment, and the state-of-the-art technology involved in creating a tissue-engineered intestine in the context of its clinical and technical limitations. Click here to read the full text of this article.
Diagnostic evaluation of dysphagia
In this Review, the author focuses on the diagnostic evaluation of dysphagia, a disorder that is common in the general population and even more so in the elderly and in the chronic-care setting. In particular, the importance of taking a good history is emphasized. Consideration is also given to interpreting the findings of radiography, endoscopy and esophageal manometry, and what to do when these three modalities fail to yield a diagnosis. Click here to read the full text of this article. CME is available for this article.
Phase II study shows efficacy of lubiprostone against IBS
This Research Highlight discusses the results of a phase II study of lubiprostone in patients who have constipation-predominant IBS which has shown that the treatment significantly improves gastrointestinal symptoms in such patients. To access this article, login to your ACG account, click Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology & Hepatology, and follow the instructions to access the journal.
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)
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