A randomized controlled multicenter trial of high dose ursodesoxycholic acid versus placebo in sepsis-assoicated cholestasis

Background: Sepsis-associated cholestasis (SAC) is increasingly recognised in criticall ill patients. SAC may ultimately progress to secondary sclerosing cholangitis, eventually causing biliary sepsis and progressive hepatic failure. Apart from interventional ERCP aiming to clear obstructed ducts in patients with secondary sclerosing cholangitis, no effective medical treatment is established in progressive SAC. We hypothesized that high-dose ursodesocycholic acid (UDC) would be superior to placebo in SAC and devised a multicenter study involving four tertiary medical ICUs in Austria. Patients and Methods: Patien…