Comparing a blood pressure pill to a procedure for preventing dangerous bleeding

This trial is testing whether a blood pressure medication called carvedilol can prevent dangerous bleeding in people with cirrhosis (severe liver disease) and high blood pressure. Right now, doctors use a procedure called band ligation—where a small band is placed around enlarged blood vessels in the esophagus—to prevent this bleeding. This study compares the medication to the procedure to see which approach works better.

People with advanced liver disease can develop life-threatening bleeding from enlarged blood vessels in the esophagus, and this is a serious complication. Researchers want to find out if this medication, which is already used safely for heart and blood pressure conditions, could be a simpler alternative to the current procedure for preventing this dangerous bleeding.