Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF) is a recently introduced term defined as severe acute deterioration of an established liver disease. This entity usually develops after an acute insult. The main clinical manifestations are hepatorenal syndrome, hepatic encephalopathy and organ failure, with a high risk of death in the short term. The true incidence of ACLF remains difficult to determine du...

Acute-on-chronic liver failure combines an acute deterioration in liver function in an individual with pre-existing chronic liver disease and hepatic and extrahepatic organ failures, and is associated with substantial short-term mortality. Common precipitants include bacterial and viral infections, alcoholic hepatitis, and surgery, but in more than 40% of patients, no precipitating event is ide...

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is an increasingly recognized distinct disease entity encompassing an acute deterioration of liver function in patients with chronic liver disease. Although there are no widely accepted diagnostic criteria for ACLF, the Asia.Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease and the European As...

syndrome that triggers a cascade of events, leading to multiple organ failure and often death. A previously normal liver may fail within days or weeks; and despite recent advances in intensive care and organ support, mortality rates remain high. In those patients with high grades of encephalopathy, the chances of survival are less than 20% with medical management alone. Early deaths in ALF are ...

Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare, potentially fatal complication of severe hepatic illness resulting from various causes. In a clinical setting, severe hepatic injury is usually recognised by the appearance of jaundice, encephalopathy and coagulopathy. The central and most important clinical event in ALF is occurrence of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and cerebral edema which is responsible for...

Acute liver failure (ALF) in neonates is a rare but often fatal event. Though in adults and older children, a main symptom of ALF is hepatic encephalopathy, this is very difficult to diagnose and prove in infants. Causes of ALF in neonates encompass metabolic, infectious and haematological disorders, congenital vascular/heart abnormalities, and drugs. Infants with ALF should only be treated in ...

OBJECTIVE To review the incidence, etiologies, pathophysiology, and treatment of acute liver failure (ALF) in children. Emphasis will be placed on the initial management of the multiple organ system involvement of ALF. METHOD MEDLINE search from 1970 to March 2005 was performed. Search headings were as follows: acute liver failure, fulminant liver failure, pediatric liver failure, hepatic enc...