🫀 West Haven Criteria (Hepatic Encephalopathy)
Grade hepatic encephalopathy severity with the West Haven criteria.
Clinical takeaway
Identify and treat precipitants (infection, GI bleed, constipation).
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When to use
Assess and trend hepatic encephalopathy.
How it works
Grades 0 (minimal/covert) to 4 (coma); overt HE from grade 2.
Key points
- Identify and treat precipitants (infection, GI bleed, constipation).
- Grade 3–4 may need airway protection/ICU.
- Treatment: lactulose ± rifaximin.
References
Decision support for licensed clinicians only; not a substitute for clinical judgement, diagnosis or local protocols.
Worked calculation
The values below come from this tool's own example placeholders and are computed server-side with the formula shown on this page, so the arithmetic can be checked quickly. It demonstrates how to substitute values only — it is not clinical advice and not a real case.
| Clinical grade | 0 (minimal) — no detectable change, abnormal on testing |
|---|
→West HavenGrade 0
- Note：Covert/minimal HE — consider specialised testing.
| Clinical grade | 4 — coma |
|---|
→West HavenGrade 4
- Note：Grade 3–4 (overt) — airway protection and ICU care may be needed; identify precipitants.
Frequently asked questions
- What is West Haven Criteria (Hepatic Encephalopathy)?
- Grade hepatic encephalopathy severity with the West Haven criteria.
- How is West Haven Criteria (Hepatic Encephalopathy) calculated? What is the core formula?
- Grades 0 (minimal/covert) to 4 (coma); overt HE from grade 2.
- When is West Haven Criteria (Hepatic Encephalopathy) used?
- Assess and trend hepatic encephalopathy.
- What are the key clinical points for West Haven Criteria (Hepatic Encephalopathy)?
- Identify and treat precipitants (infection, GI bleed, constipation). Grade 3–4 may need airway protection/ICU. Treatment: lactulose ± rifaximin.
- What are the limits and cautions when using West Haven Criteria (Hepatic Encephalopathy)?
- For licensed clinicians and clinical researchers. Interpret results with history, investigations and local protocols; not a diagnosis or prescription, and not a substitute for multidisciplinary decision-making or local guidelines.
- How is West Haven Criteria (Hepatic Encephalopathy) calculated in practice? Can you show a worked example?
- Inputs: Clinical grade 0 (minimal) — no detectable change, abnormal on testing → Result: West Haven Grade 0（Note: Covert/minimal HE — consider specialised testing.） Inputs: Clinical grade 4 — coma → Result: West Haven Grade 4（Note: Grade 3–4 (overt) — airway protection and ICU care may be needed; identify precipitants.）