Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Death in Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

Abstract Background Although the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) research consortium (AARC) ACLF score is easy to use in patients with hepatitis b virus-related ACLF (HBV-ACLF), serum lactate is not routinely tested in primary hospitals, and its value may be affected by some interference factors. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is used to assess the status of bacterial infection (BI) or outcomes in patients with various diseases. We developed an NLR-based AARC ACLF score and compared it with the existing model. Methods A total of 494 HBV-ACLF patients, enrolled in four tertiary academic hospitals in China with 90-day follow-up, were analysed. Prognostic performance of baseline NLR and lactate were compared between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic subgroups via the receiver operating curve and Kaplan–Meier analyses. A modified AARC ACLF (mAARC ACLF) score using NLR as a replacement for lactate was developed (n = 290) and validated (n = 204). Results There were significantly higher baseline values of NLR in non-survivors, patients with admission BI, and those with higher grades of ACLF compared with the control groups. Compared with lactate, NLR better reflected BI status in the cirrhotic subgroup, and was more significantly correlated with CTP, MELD, MELD-Na, and the AARC score. NLR was an independent predictor of 90-day mortality, and was categorized into three risk grades (< 3.10, 3.10–4.78, and > 4.78) with 90-day cumulative mortalities of 8%, 21.2%, and 77.5% in the derivation cohort, respectively. The mAARC ACLF score, using the three grades of NLR instead of corresponding levels of lactate, was superior to the other four scores in predicting 90-day mortality in the derivation (AUROC 0.906, 95% CI 0.872–0.940, average P < 0.001) and validation cohorts (AUROC 0.913, 95% CI 0.876–0.950, average P < 0.01), with a considerable performance in predicting 28-day mortality in the two cohorts. Conclusions The prognostic value of NLR is superior to that of lactate in predicting short-term mortality risk in cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients with HBV-ACLF. NLR can be incorporated into the AARC ACLF scoring system for improving its prognostic accuracy and facilitating the management guidance in patients with HBV-ACLF in primary hospitals.

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Clinical profile and outcome among patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure admitted in the intensive care unit

The Egyptian Journal of Internal Medicine ◽

10.1186/s43162-021-00061-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Marwa Lotfi El Sayed ◽

Tarek El Sayed Gouda ◽

E. L. Sayed Abdel Maksood Khalil ◽

Mohammed Mohammed El Sayed Al Arman ◽

Islam Eid Mohamed

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Liver Failure ◽

Prognostic Score ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Chronic Liver ◽

Clinical Profile ◽

Chronic Liver Failure ◽

Hepatic Decompensation ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract Background Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) has been recently defined as a clinical form including acute hepatic decompensation and high 28-day mortality. ACLF usually follows a precipitating event on the background of established cirrhosis. ACLF is considered the most frequent indication for admission to the ICU among cirrhotic patients. Our research aimed to reveal the clinical profile and outcome among patients with ACLF to detect an allocation system of these patients to the intensive care unit (ICU), and a decision tool for clinical practice. It is a prospective study of 60 patients with ACLF. Patients are divided into group A that included 30 patients with ACLF admitted to the hepatology and gastroenterology ward and group B that also included 30 patients with ACLF admitted to the ICU. Each group is subdivided into subgroups regarding the grade of ACLF. Results The most common precipitating factor of ACLF is SBP 78.3% (80% in ICU, 73.6% inward). Renal failure is the most common organ failure in ACLF in both groups. CLIF-C ACLF is assumed to be a highly prognostic score for mortality in ACLF patients better than other scores. ROC curve of CLIF-C ACLF with AUC: 0.972 and CI: 0.919, 1.025 showed a cutoff point = 57.0 above which intensive care admission does not seem to benefit ACLF patients. The sensitivity at the optimal cut point is 88.89% and the specificity is 100%. There is a significant difference between the 3 ACLF groups regarding 1-month and 3-month mortalities in patients admitted to the ICU. ACLF1 shows the least 1-month and 3-month mortality rates while ACLF3 shows the highest mortality rates in ICU patients ((1-month mortality: 20%, 60%, 100% in ACLF1, 2, 3 respectively), (3-month mortality: 50%, 80%, 100% in ACLF1, 2, 3 respectively)). Conclusion Mortality is high in ACLF and increases with the number of organ failures (40% in ACLF1 to 100% in ACLF3). CLIFC-ACLF is the most prognostic scoring system with a cut-off value of 57; above this value, mortality is a fact.

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