Hospital Physician July/August 2009 A 45-year-old Hispanic woman with a history of systemic lupus erythematosus, depression, recurrent pyelonephritis, pancreatitis, cholecystectomy, and chronic abdominal pain was admitted to a community hospital for worsening abdominal pain. She had previously been prescribed hydrocodone bitartrate/acetaminophen for chronic abdominal pain. Preoperative laborato...

Acute liver failure refers to the rapid development of severe acute liver injury with impaired synthetic function in a patient who previously had a normal liver or a well compensated liver disease. Its aetiology is diversified and it provides one of the best indicators of prognosis thus being crucial its quick identification. Because it can progress to multiple organ failure syndrome these pati...

Copyright © 2013 Massachusetts Medical Society. A cute liver failure is a rare but life-threatening critical illness that occurs most often in patients who do not have preexisting liver disease. With an incidence of fewer than 10 cases per million persons per year in the developed world, acute liver failure is seen most commonly in previously healthy adults in their 30s and presents unique chal...

The development of encephalopathy in patients with acute liver injury defines the occurrence of liver failure. The encephalopathy of acute liver failure is characterized by brain edema which manifests clinically as increased intracranial pressure. Despite the best available medical therapies a significant proportion of patients with acute liver failure die due to brain herniation. The present r...

Acute liver failure is a rare but often catastrophic illness affecting the liver and multiple organ systems. Patients with acute liver failure require a multidisciplinary approach for adequate management. With improved critical care and the availability of liver transplantation, survival has significantly improved. Hepatic encephalopathy, cerebral edema and infections are the most common compli...

BACKGROUND Posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is one of the most serious complications after liver resection and is still reported in up to 8% after liver resection. AIMS To provide an overview about the current status of risk analysis and definition of PHLF. Prevention and treatment is also discussed. METHODS A literature review was carried out on PubMed using the terms 'liver failure', ...

Background In patients with acute liver failure (ALF) who fulfil criteria, liver transplantation is the only effective treatment which can substitute metabolic and excretory function of the liver. Auxiliary liver transplantation was developed because a significant minority of patients with ALF who fulfil transplant criteria can have a complete morphological and functional recovery of their live...

Acute hepatic failure is characterized by jaundice and hepatic encephalopathy within eight weeks after the onset of disease. Although acute hepatic failure is a rare occurrence, its rapid progression and high mortality (50 to 90%, depending on the etiology of disease) necessitate immediate intervention. In the absence of causal therapy, orthotopic liver transplantation is currently the only def...