Patients with gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding not confirmed by diagnostic upper GI (UGI) endoscopy were not included. For every patient with EVB and HCC, a patient with EVB without HCC was included. Patients were paired according to age (±5 years) and Child-Pugh class (A/B/C). Follow-up of all patients was prolonged until June 2011. Patients who received liver transplantation

(LT) during the follow-up were censored at this time point. Data regarding demographics, liver disease, bleeding episode, and follow-up were registered. In patients with HCC, information regarding tumoral disease was collected. Bleeding was considered from esophageal variceal origin Pexidartinib when the emergency endoscopy,

performed within 12 hours after admission, showed any of the accepted criteria defining VB.[31] Baveno V definition of events associated with the bleeding episode was used: failure to control bleeding; 6-week rebleeding; 6-week death and failure of secondary prophylaxis, GSK1120212 which includes any significant bleeding resulting from portal hypertension after day 5 during the complete follow-up, that leads to hospitalization; and drop in 3 g of hemoglobin, blood transfusion, or death within 6 weeks of the rebleeding episode.[32] Previous decompensation was defined by the presence of ascites, hepatic encephalopathy (HE), or VB. Parametric and nonparametric variables are described with means (standard deviation) and medians (interquartile range; IQR), respectively. Categorical variables are described with proportions. Chi-square, Student t, and Mann-Whitney’s tests were used according to variable characteristics. Patients who received LT were censored at the

time of transplant. Kaplan-Meier’s MCE公司 curves were constructed and compared with the log-rank test or Breslow’s test, as appropriate. Cox’s multivariate stepwise regression analysis was performed to analyze the independent effect of each variable on survival. The presence of statistical and biological interaction and confusion were analyzed by stratified analysis and inclusion of the product term of the interaction. The study protocol conformed to the ethical guidelines of the 1975 Declaration of Helsinki. Ethics committee approval was obtained. During the study period, a total of 146 patients were admitted because of EVB and HCC in the 10 centers (see Appendix 1). Patients had a median age of 68 years (IQR, 59-74) and were predominantly Child-Pugh class B (A in 30, B in 76, and C in 40) with a median Model for End-Stage Live Disease (MELD) score of 14 (range, 11-17; Table 1). HCC was diagnosed a median of 4 (range, 0-18) months before the VB episode. Thirty-seven (25%) patients were diagnosed at the time of the bleeding episode, whereas 109 (75%) were diagnosed previously.