scholarly journals Etiology and Outcome of Acute Liver Failure: Experience from a Liver Transplantation Centre in Montreal

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 672-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geneviève Tessier ◽  
Edith Villeneuve ◽  
Jean-Pierre Villeneuve

BACKGROUND: Acute liver failure is a rare condition in which massive liver injury is associated with the rapid development of hepatic encephalopathy. Although viral hepatitis and drug-induced liver injury are the most common causes, no specific etiology is found in a substantial proportion of cases reported from Europe and the United States.AIM: To determine the etiology and outcome of patients with acute liver failure in the authors’ institution.PATIENTS AND METHODS: The charts of 81 consecutive patients admitted to Saint-Luc between 1991 and 1999 were reviewed.RESULTS: The etiology was viral in 27 cases (33.2%), toxic or drug-induced in 22 (27.2%), of unknown origin in 22 (27.2%) and due to various causes in 10 (12.3%) (autoimmune, vascular, cancer). Of the 81 patients, 16% survived without liver transplantation, and 84% died or underwent liver transplantation. Survival without liver transplantation differed according to the mode of presentation: the survival rate was 27% in patients with hyperacute liver failure, 7% in those with acute liver failure and 0% in those with subacute liver failure. Among the 38 patients who underwent liver transplantation, survival one year after transplantation was 71%. In the 30 patients who died without liver transplantation, the main causes of death were cerebral edema and sepsis.CONCLUSIONS: Acute liver failure is associated with a high mortality, and liver transplantation is the treatment of choice. In a significant proportion of cases, the etiology remains undetermined and is probably related to yet unidentified hepatotropic viruses.

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 642-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmi S. Punzalan ◽  
Curtis T. Barry

Acute liver failure is life threatening liver injury with coagulopathy and hepatic encephalopathy within 26 weeks and generally, in the absence of preexisting liver disease. Fulminant liver failure occurs when hepatic encephalopathy occurs within 8 weeks of jaundice. The majority of patients with ALF are women with the median age of 38 years. In the United States, drug induced liver injury including acetaminophen causes the majority of ALF cases. The etiology of ALF should be determined, if possible, because many causes have a specific treatment. The mainstay for ALF is supportive care and liver transplantation, if necessary. There are multiple prognostic criteria available. Prognosis can be poor and patients should be referred to a liver transplantation center as soon as possible.


2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1018-1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark W. Russo ◽  
Joseph A. Galanko ◽  
Roshan Shrestha ◽  
Michael W. Fried ◽  
Paul Watkins

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuji Suzuki ◽  
Keisuke Kakisaka ◽  
Takuro Sato ◽  
Ryouichi Mikami ◽  
Hiroaki Abe ◽  
...  

AbstractPatients with severe acute liver injury (SLI) usually recover spontaneously. However, some SLI patients progress to acute liver failure with varying degrees of hepatic encephalopathy. Acute liver failure is associated with high mortality and can be substantially reduced by liver transplantation. Therefore, distinguishing SLI patients who might progress to acute liver failure and are at a risk of death is important when evaluating patients needing liver transplantation. The present study aimed to determine whether technetium-99m-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid galactosyl human serum albumin (Tc-99m GSA) scintigraphy can predict the prognosis of patients with SLI. This prospective observational study included 69 SLI patients. The accuracy of Tc-99m GSA for predicting death or liver transplantation for 6 months was assessed. Between the two groups of patients stratified based on the cut-off values from the receiver operating characteristic curves, 6-month transplant-free survival was compared. Sixteen (23.2%) patients died or underwent liver transplantation from admission (poor outcome). The hepatic accumulation index was calculated by dividing the radioactivity of the liver region of interest by that of the liver-plus-heart region of interest at 15 min (i.e., LHL15). The LHL15 in the 16 patients (0.686) was significantly lower than that in survivors (0.836; P < 0.0001). The optimal LHL15 cut-off for distinguishing poor outcome and survival was 0.737 with a sensitivity of 81.3%, specificity of 88.7%, and area under the curve of 0.907 (95% CI, 0.832–0.981). When patients were divided into two groups based on the LHL15 cut-off value, the 6-month transplant-free survival was significantly lower in patients with an LHL15 level ≤ 0.737. Tc-99m GSA scintigraphy may help predict the prognosis of patients with SLI.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Karousatos ◽  
Justin K. Lee ◽  
David R. Braxton ◽  
Tse-Ling Fong

Abstract Background Complementary and alternative medicine use among Americans is prevalent. Originating in India, Ayurvedic medicine use in the United States has grown 57% since 2002. CAM accounts for a significant proportion of drug induced liver injury in India and China, but there have been only three reports of drug induced liver injury from Ayurvedic medications in the U.S. We report three cases of suspected Ayurvedic medication associated liver injury seen at a Southern California community hospital and review literature of Ayurvedic medication induced liver injury. Case presentations Three patients presented with acute hepatocellular injury and jaundice after taking Ayurvedic supplements for 90–120 days. First patient took Giloy Kwath consisting solely of Tinospora cordifolia. Second patient took Manjishthadi Kwatham and Aragwadhi Kwatham, which contained 52 and 10 individual plant extracts, respectively. Third patient took Kanchnar Guggulu, containing 10 individual plant extracts. Aminotransferase activities decreased 50% in < 30 days and all 3 patients made a full recovery. Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (RUCAM) scores were 7–8, indicating probable causality. These products all contained ingredients in other Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicines with previously reported associations with drug induced liver injury. Conclusions These patients highlight the risk of drug induced liver injury from Ayurvedic medications and the complexity of determining causality. There is a need for a platform like LiverTox.gov to catalog Ayurvedic ingredients causing liver damage.


2020 ◽  
pp. 3089-3100
Author(s):  
Jane Macnaughtan ◽  
Rajiv Jalan

Liver failure occurs when loss of hepatic parenchymal function exceeds the capacity of hepatocytes to regenerate or repair liver injury. Acute liver failure is characterized by jaundice and prolongation of the prothrombin time in the context of recent acute liver injury, with hepatic encephalopathy occurring within 8 weeks of the first onset of liver disease. Acute-on-chronic liver failure is characterized by hepatic and/or extrahepatic organ failure in patients with cirrhosis associated with an identified or unidentified precipitating event. The commonest causes of acute liver failure are acute viral hepatitis and drugs. Acute-on-chronic liver failure is most commonly precipitated by infection, alcohol abuse, and superimposed viral infection. The main clinical manifestations are hepatic encephalopathy, coagulopathy, jaundice, renal dysfunction, and haemodynamic instability. Infection and systemic inflammation contribute to pathogenesis and critically contribute to prognosis. Specific therapy for the underlying liver disease is administered when available, but this is not possible for most causes of liver failure. Treatment is predominantly supportive, with particular emphasis on (1) correction or removal of precipitating factors; (2) if encephalopathy is present, using phosphate enemata, nonhydrolysed disaccharide laxatives, and/or rifaximin; (3) early detection and prompt treatment of complications such as hypoglycaemia, hypokalaemia, cerebral oedema, infection, and bleeding. The onset of organ failure should prompt discussion with a liver transplantation centre. The mortality of acute liver failure (without liver transplantation) is about 40%. Patients with acute liver failure who do not develop encephalopathy can be expected to recover completely. Those who recover from an episode of acute-on-chronic liver failure should be considered for liver transplantation because otherwise their subsequent mortality remains high.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. e00252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasleen Grewal ◽  
Angela Doan ◽  
Annie S. Hong ◽  
Arpit Amin ◽  
Jason V. Scapa ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 564-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Rao ◽  
Isaiah Schuster ◽  
Talal Seoud ◽  
Kevin Zarrabi ◽  
Nirvani Goolsarran

Nafcillin-induced acute liver injury is a rare and potentially fatal complication that has been known since the 1960s but inadequately studied. At this time, the only proven treatment is early discontinuation of the drug. Because of the high prevalence of nafcillin class antibiotic use in the United States, it is important for clinicians to have a high clinical suspicion for this diagnosis. We present a case of liver failure attributable to nafcillin use in a 68-year-old male with a history methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus and L3/L4 osteomyelitis. After starting long-term antibiotic therapy, he presented with painless jaundice which necessitated discontinuation of the drug. At the time of presentation, the patient’s lab work exhibited a bilirubin/direct bilirubin of 9.4/8.2 mg/dL, alkaline phosphatase of 311 IU/L, and aspartate transaminase/alanine transaminase of 109/127 IU/L. The patient was switched to i.v. vancomycin given the concern for drug-induced liver injury. Imaging did not show obstruction of the hepatobiliary or pancreaticobiliary trees. Serology was unremarkable for viral etiology, autoimmune processes, Wilson disease, and hemochromatosis. A liver biopsy showed findings consistent with drug-induced liver injury. The patient’s liver function tests peaked at day 7 of admission and trended towards normal levels with cessation of nafcillin therapy. The patient was discharged with a diagnosis of nafcillin-induced acute liver injury. Our case highlights the importance of early recognition of the diagnosis and careful monitoring of liver function when nafcillin is employed in the clinical setting.


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